


The Golden Quartet: The Philosopher's Stone

by IziWilson76



Series: The Golden Quartet [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: American Transfer Student, American Witch, F/M, Golden Quartet, NOT A MARY SUE!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 15:25:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 38,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8214157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IziWilson76/pseuds/IziWilson76
Summary: We all know the Golden Trio. But what if there were four? And the Fourth was an American witch all the way from New York, the first to be accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for 7 whole years? Meet Tess Crosswell, that American witch who is about to embark on a pretty big journey as she discovers where she belongs and who her friends really are.





	1. Hello, My Name Is...

In the late summer evening, shining it's ever bright lights, was the Big Apple itself; New York City. The home of Broadway, America's industry, and some of the country's economics. But unknown to most of the city's population and pretty much the world, the city was home to the American Wizarding World. Magic exists, even in the dark parts of the prosperous city. Hidden in the back alleys and mostly the skies, there tended to be the illegal broom racing. Not everyone flew brooms for the fun, some did it for the money. That was what these racers were doing right now.

Two brooms whizzed in the air. On the left broom, was a big, burly wizard who looked like he would kill to win. On the right was a pink haired witch who wore protective goggles. She zoomed ahead, and just when she was close to finishing the race, the wizard crept up behind her and kicked her off her broom, sending her crashing in the dumpster far from the finish line.

The crowds cheered when the wizard landed as victor. "The winner!" An announcer who was a 19 year old witch. "By total annihilation… MERCURY!"

Mercury laughed in victory as he collected his winnings. "Who's next? Who wants to face off against the fastest wizard in New York?" Around him, other wizards and witches were terrified to even move and one of them snapped his own broom in half.

"Mind if I have a go?" The crowds parted way to reveal a small skinny girl about 10-11 years old, with hair that was blonde, fair skin and bright amethyst eyes that looked like purple diamonds, but at the same time, they sparkled with mischief. She was wearing a leather jacket over a purple tanktop, jeans and black Converse sneakers. "I've got a broom you know." She gestured to her Cleansweep 7.

Mercury took one look at her and laughed because since he was the best, he gotten the latest broom. Everyone else laughed at the small girl. "Beat it kid." The announcer said. "House rules. You gotta pay to play."

The girl's eyes widened as she dug in her pockets. "This much count?" She held up a fistful of silver sickles.

"What's your name, kid?" Mercury asked.

The girl scoffed, putting on her tough attitude. "The name's Crosswell. Tess Crosswell."

Mercury seemed taken aback, by a rough talk coming from a little girl. "Prepare to go home to yo mamma, Bitchwell."

Tess and Mercury walked to the starting line, which was a white line directly on the edge of a dock over the Hudson River. The witch and the wizard mounted on their brooms and prepared for takeoff as the announcer came in the middle in front of them. "Two brooms take off. One broom lands a loser. Flyers ready? FLY!" The two brooms whizzed up, starting the race, but when they were halfway in the race, Tess' broom "whizzed out of control" and she plummeted into the Hudson. She surfaced coughing water and flew to the finish line where the other street gangers were laughing and taunting her. Tess felt hurt at the insults, but if there was one thing that she didn't do, it was going down without a fight.

"That was my first flight idiots!" She yelled.

"Guess what?" Mercury shouted. "No one likes a sore loser! Go home."

"You're afraid of a fight?" Tess asked. "Especially with the promise of more money?" She held out a sack full of gleaming, golden Galleons. Mercury smiled, his greedy eyes, glistening. And when they got to the start line, with Tess dripping wet, they took off into the night sky. Tess smiled as they circled over the New York skyline. Her broom had never spurred out of control She had been planning for just the right moment and she had been faking the innocent girl routine the entire time so she could psych them out and earn twice the money.

Tess zoomed past Mercury and performed flips, did some broom surfing and swung on some signposts on the roof before landing on her broom. In a 30 mile race, Tess came in first in just 39 seconds, setting a new course record in the history of that race. Tess had been to dozens of other illegal races in other parts of New York so this wasn't a new experience as she said it was. Even as Mercury landed, all the other wizards looked at this small little girl who was able to defeat the greatest racer in the lower East Side. Despite her age, Tess was a Quidditch prodigy.

"Guess you're not as fast as your namesake." Tess gloated.

"But…" Mercury stammered. "This isn't possible!"

Tess scoffed. "2 things. One, it's possible because it just happened. Two, it's not the broom. It's the person riding it." Tess didn't notice people were clearing the area as she was collecting the money from the winnings. "By the way, you're not bad yourself. Do you wanna go again?"

Before she knew it, she was thrown into a wall. "No one hustles Mercury!" He yelled at her face, grabbing her broom and pushed her back when she tried to get it back. "Teach her a lesson, the no Maj-Way. Wouldn't want this to be unfair to a little girl." He said to four of his minions. All three cracked their knuckles and prepared to give Tess a beating.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Tess simply said. "But I'm not a damsel in distress." She performed a high kick, sending one goon flying back. The other three charged at her, but she threw punches left and right, having experience as a black belt. For a little girl, Tess was pretty strong. But so were the other girls of New York City who weren't rich and proper. To survive New York as a wizard, you had to be tough.

"Well." A lust-laced voice whispered in her ear as two massive arms wrapped around her, holding her firm as she struggled to get free. "It appears that you're going to be more of a pleasure to me than I thought."

"Get off me!" Tess screamed, kicking to get away.

"STUPEFY!" A voice screamed, stunning Mercury. Holding the wand that fired the spell, was a teenager, about 15 years old, with dark hair, a slight tan and brown hazel eyes. He was wearing a baseball cap, a shirt with patches on them, and torn up jeans with sandals. "Tess, come on!"

"Johnnie!" Tess exclaimed to her cousin as they got on the moped. "Perfect timing!" Johnnie gave a glare to Mercury before slapping a helmet on her head. The moped burst to life as they sped away.

"You OK?" Johnnie asked his cousin. "Are you hurt?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Not hurt" She replied.

"He didn't touch you did he?" Johnnie's voice took a darker turn. "Did anyone touch you?"

"No." Tess replied.

"Then what the hell were you thinking?!" Johnnie swatted his arm, hitting her repeatedly. "Tess, this is the third time this week. The THIRD TIME, of this WEEK! How many times do we have to tell you that broom racing is illegal even to wizards. You're gonna get yourself arrested!"

"And how many times do I have to say that broom racing is NOT illegal?" Tess challenged. "Betting on broom racing….that's pretty illegal, but lucrative and worth it!"

Johnnie rolled his eyes. "One of these days, karma's gonna bite you in the ass."

"Oh I'm so scared." Tess sarcastically snipped. "I'm on a roll cousin. AND THERE AIN'T NO STOPPING ME!" The moped skidded to a stop as they were surrounded by the No Maj Police. No Maj was the equivalent of Muggle in Wizarding terms. Thinking quick, Johnnie pulled out his wand and turned the sack of wizard money into heaps of dollars. They were quickly handcuffed and shoved in the police car.

"You had to transfigure the Galleons, didn't ya?" Tess quizzed.

"Hey it was either that or have the No Maj's be on the trail that magic exists." Johnnie hissed.

"Still, Black Gate is gonna hear about this." Tess warned.

"Shut up." Johnnie said.

The next thing they knew, they were in the police station, behind bars. Tess looked up to her cousin who was glaring at her. "What?"

"No one is stopping me." Johnnie mocked in a high pitched voice. "Says who? The girl who's behind bars?"

"No." Tess said. "Says the idiot who took Aunt Sara's moped without asking, and you don't even have a license."

"Oh shut up." Johnnie said. "If Mom doesn't kill you for this, I will."

They were released about half an hour later on bail. When they walked outside, they found no one.

"Oh well." Tess said cheerfully. "I guess we'll be on our way then."

"QUINTESSA CHARLOTTE CROSSWELL!" They heard a very angry female voice shout.

Slowly turning around, Tess muttered the only phrase she could ever speak whenever she was in trouble.

"Oh Crap."


	2. Welcome To My Crib and Meet My Family

Turning around, Tess saw the fuming face of her Aunt Sara. She was a woman, in her late 30's with brown hair and worried brown eyes.

"Hey….Mom." Johnnie nervously said.

Sara's face turned to a concerned motherly look. "Are you two ok? Please tell me you're ok!"

"We're fine!" Tess exclaimed.

"We're ok." Johnnie said.

"Good." Sara said, placing a hand on their ears, before pulling them in the car by their ears. "THEN WHAT WERE YOU TWO KNUCKLEHEADS THINKING?!"

In the car ride, the atmosphere was so cold, Antarctica seemed like Hawaii. Not to mention, Johnnie and Tess' ears were still throbbing from Sara's pull and her nails. The reason that they were using a car the regular was was because American wizards prefered to live what Tess called, "A wizard's life in a no magic orld."

"Jonathan Spencer Crosswell!" Sara exclaimed as she was driving, her knuckles white. "In all my years as your mother, I expected more out of you! You stole my moped without asking me and you have no license in the matter! And as for you Quintessa, for 5 years, I have done my very best to raise you!" The car parked in the garage and the family walked to the apartment in the wizarding neighborhood in the Upper West Side. "Have I been perfect? No. Do I know a single thing about children? NO! Should I have picked up a book on parenting? PROBABLY!" She stopped midway, in opening the lock with the keys, since Sara was a Squibb. "Wait, where was I going with this? I had a point."

"Sorry." Johnnie said meekly.

"We love you, Aunt Sara." Tess said.

"Well I love you too!" Sara exclaimed, opening the door and running to the fridge, grabbing a Raven eclair. "I had to leave work early!" She swallowed the treat whole. "See this? Stress eating! Because of you, Tess! Come on, Tituba!" She gestured to the black cat who was sitting on the couch. "This pasty is freaking good!" Johnnie and Tess looked at each other before going to the room that they shared.

"You better make this up to Mom before she eats everything in the fridge." Johnnie warned his cousin as he was putting away his jacket.

"Yeah, uh huh." Tess replied absentmindedly, from her pamphlet of broom races.

"And you learned your lesson right?" Johnnie asked.

"Wha?" Tess asked finally looking up to her cousin. "Oh yeah, totes."

Johnnie however, wasn't convinced. "You're going to sneak out aren't ya?"

"Johnnie." Tess said. "The next race isn't for another 12 hours and besides, you know me. I'll be in and out." She was about to go to the kitchen but Johnnie grabbed the collar of her jacket.

"When are you gonna start doing something with those magical talents of yours?"

Johnnie asked her, tapping her head.

"What?" Tess asked. "Go to Pig Skin School? So I can become one of those British stiffs? Besides, I have my own job here. And that job is to support the family."

"Tess." Johnnie began. "You don't think I haven't noticed that we've had major bad luck over the years? Sure it was rough finding a place we could afford in this city and since Mom's a squibb…"

"That's my point, Johnnie." Tess countered. "Magical Congress doesn't like Squibs. No one does except for us. It's a miracle they let Sara in as a worker for the Department of International Magical Cooperation after all the jobs she got rejected or fired from and every day she works so hard. Here we are, trying to get money for all of us to have food and clothes and heat."

"Tess, I already have a job." Johnnie said. "And when you're old enough, you can get one too."

"Johnnie." Tess said sternly. "It's hard enough affording your tuition. Black Gate Academy is still one of the hardest in the country to stay in." In Wizarding America, it was different from Britan because you had to pay to go to school, for your dorms, clothes, and electricity. And it never came cheap.

"We can get money our own way." Johnnie said. "But not through illegal things. That's what Dad would say."

Tess groaned. "Guess what? Uncle Mike isn't here. Which means it's up to us." Tess or Johnnie never knew Michael Crosswell. He died when the first Wizarding War happened.

The next day, when Tess woke up and had some breakfast, she was greeted by her Aunt Sara.

"Morning." She sat down as Sara put down the newspaper.

"I want to talk to you Tess." Sara said to her niece. "Tess, I thought you were turning things around. What is this? Is this really what you want your life to be? You keep acting out, when you have the maturity and potential to do so much more."

Tess laughed. "You still want me to go to Pig Zit School in England? Forget it.

"I know you think that you should be alone in your life.."

Tess put her hand up. "Please stop Aunt Sara. I don't wanna hear anything about it."

Sara groaned. "What would your mother say?"

"I don't know." Tess said as she washed dishes. "She's gone. She died when I was 6, remember?"

About an hour later, Johnnie had gotten to work and Tess had taken a shower and was wearing a blue t shirt, her leather jacket, black jeans, a belt that dropped at her waist, and black combat boots.

"Tess?" Sara asked, dressed in her work clothes.

"Yeah?" She asked back.

"I have to go to work but first…" Sara trailed off. "I wanna take you to a broom race."

That got Tess' attention as she rushed out with excitement. "Really?"

Sara sighed. "I can't stop you from going, but I'm not gonna let you go alone."

"Sweet!" Tess said. "You rock Aunt."

As Sara prepared the Floo network, she asked her niece, "Where is it?"

"Manhattan, 42nd street." Tess told her. They went inside the green flames of the Floo, spiraling to that destination. But by the time, they landed, Tess looked around to see that they didn't go to Times Square.

They had landed in the UK Ministry of Magic.


	3. Taking a Trip to Britsburgh

"What are we doing in Stiff Capital?" Tess asked once she realized where they were. "The broom store is all the way in America!" She ignored the strange looks they were getting from other wizards.

"Chill Tess." Sara said to her niece. "I just gotta grab something."

"Is this gonna take long?" Tess groaned for the millionth time when the duo was in a hallway.

Sara smiled and rolled her eyes while smiling. "Relax you big baby." She said opening a door. "We'll be out faster than you can say, 'Beat it.' Anyway, you've never seen my UK office."

"Oh great!" Tess snipped in sarcasm. "I get to see your Red Coat office."

"Wotcher girl!" A woman ran towards her, but Tess accidentally tripped in surprise and ended up tripping the girl. "Sorry bout that." Tess looked up to see a woman in black clothing, mostly covered by a black trenchcoat. She had hair that Tess swore was brown but it changed to pink. The woman held out her hand and Tess, although hesitant at first, took it and stood up.

"Tonks." Sara came up behind Tess. "This is my niece, Tess."

"Nice to meet you." Tonks held out her hand. Tess panicked for a second. She had always been bad at making friends and whenever someone tried to be her friend, she would just shoo them away with one of her snippy comments.

"Uh…." Tess stammered.

Tonks smiled and shook her hand. "This one don't talk much?" She asked Sara.

"Not really in the traditional kind of way you Brits do." Tess answered.

Tonks was taken aback for a moment before smiling more. "I like this one. I think she'll make quite a Gryffindor."

Tess was about to say something when her aunt cut her off. "Oh this one has her heart set on not going to Hogwarts."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Oh? We'll see about that. Sara, do you have the papers on that case from Azkaban?"

"Yes, look in Kinglsy's desk." Sara answered.

"I'll see you around." Tonks left down the hallway. As they continued their way to Sara's office, they met another wizard with a prostetic moving electric blue eye that seemed to analyze everything. It gave Tess the creeps to even stare at it. His other eye looked like it was seeking danger, a chunk of his nose was missing and he had a fake metal leg, aided by a giant wooden staff. Yet even this man was famous in America.

"Sara." He spoke in a grumbling tone that seemed to be ready for anything. "It's good to see you. And who is this?" He bent down on Tess' face and looked her in the eyes directly, the electric blue one shifting left and right, up and down all over. "She's clear."

Sara only chuckled. "Alastor, this is my niece."

"Quintessa." Alastor snapped.

"You're Alastor Moody aren't you?" Tess asked. "Also known as Mad-Eye Moody? Famous auror that has an immense track record?"

Moody analyzed her before standing and saying, "Smart one, this one, knows her people. But she better know them damn well enough before some Death Eaters drink a certain potion! You also need to find some inner strength before you put yourself out on the field." That really got to Tess, what the wizard said. Every day, Tess expected more out of herself even though she never really thought about herself. She always focused on others. "And another thing BOTH of you need to remember." Mad Eye called out interrupting Tess' thoughts.

"Oh boy. Here we go." Sara mumbled.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody shouted running down the hallway.

"Is he always this paranoid even in work?" Tess asked as they entered Sara's UK office. "I heard he was cray-cray, but that's a little extreme."

"I'll let you in on a little secret." Sara whispered to her niece. "I heard he even checks the toilets here for curses and Death Eaters."

Tess paced the office. It was a small office, containing maps and books. Tons of documents were neatly stacked away in shelves.

"So what is it you do?" Tess asked.

"I work with the International Department of Magical Cooperation where I try to get people jobs around the world and I file some work in my assigned country." Sara answered writing some things and then storing them in a file. "Some workers have a privilege of going between their home country and the other country of their assignment."

"It must have been hard for you to get that privilege." Tess noted. "No offense."

"Oh none taken." Sara said.

"You've worked really hard." Tess said. "You deserve it."

"Tess." Sara said getting up. "That's your problem. You're just too thoughtful. I know what you've given up. Every decision you have made in the past 5 years, has been because of your mom. You pursued a relationship with Johnnie. Because you were too consumed by your mother's death to let yourself have a life and instead you were always trying to get money for me and Johnnie's life."

"Burning the afternoon oil?" The duo heard a voice. As they continued their way to Sara's office, they met another wizard. He looked like an extremly tired man, but he wasn't tired from a lack of sleep. He looked like he was tired from running or going through something traumatic. But under that worn out face, was a kind and humble man. He had the warmest green eyes, and shaggy brown hair that had flicks of grey in them. He had a worn coat that had seen better days. On his face, were a few scars.

"Hello Remus." Aunt Sara said shaking his hand.

"Sara." He said. "It's good to see you." He looked down to Tess. "You must be Quintessa. Broom racer right? When your mother first came to Hogwarts, it's all she ever wanted to do. And yes, I knew her."

"Does everyone in this place know about me and what I do?" Tess asked.

Remus laughed. "Well it's not quite often that your aunt comes here, but when she does, she talks a lot."

Tess chuckled in agreement. "It's true. Aunt Sara talks a lot."

"Sara." Remus spoke to her. "Do you have my resume and was it sent?"

"Unfortunately." Sara began. "I tried to get you a job but apparently in Salem, it's almost impossible to get a job for wizards with a….furry little problem."

Tess raised an eyebrow. "You have an out of control rabbit?"

Remus and Sara stared at the little girl before they started rolling on the floor with laughter. Tess may have been raised in the New York life, but she was still an innocent little girl. "It's not a rabbit, but it's...something like it." Sara handed Remus some papers and he took Tess out into the hallway.

"Tess." Reumus said to her. "I see that you have displayed according to Sara, some raw magical talent. And that talent can be displayed to Hogwarts, the finest school in the world, who are looking to teach students just like you. Where you come from wouldn't be an issue."

"Oh I don't know." Sara said, stepping out of the office. "She's pretty serious about her career in broom racing."

"Well, k-kind of serious." Tess stammered a little taken aback.

"I can see why." Remus said. "With your kind of talent that Hogwarts is looking for, winning all that money must come easy."

"Yeah." Tess said, now glum. "I guess."

"Well if you like things easy and money, I'll let you in on a secret." Remus said. "In Hogwarts, there are some students who are like you, trying to know who they are. I was like you at that point. Some of them are orphans like yourself. The point is, is that along that path, those kids make friends and then shape into a better person. And those students go on to shape the future, make a difference in the world maybe. It was nice to meet you, Tess. Good luck on the broom races." And with that, Remus left them as Sara and Tess, who was given a lot to reflect on, made their way to the Floo chimney. Tess stopped in front of the chimney and turned around, seeing the sight before her when Sara was almost in.

"What are you waiting for?" Sara asked Tess. "Don't you wanna catch your broom race?"

"I have to go to Hogwarts!" Tess exclaimed turning around. "If I don't go to this Brit school, I'm gonna lose my head! How do I get in?"

Sara smiled deviously at Tess' outburst. "I thought you would never ask."


	4. A Child Makes an Adult Decision

"That's actually up to you." Tess heard a voice behind her. She turned around to see a man in robes and a bowler hat. Tess had seen him from international papers. It was the UK Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

"You're Cornelius Fudge right?" Tess asked. "Minister of Magic in the UK?"

"That's right Quintessa." Fudge said to her.

"Call me Tess." She said shaking his hand.

"Follow me." Fudge led her and Sara to his office where they sat down.

"Would you like anything?" Fudge asked the two. "Tea? Water?"

"I'll just have green tea." Sara told him. A guard nodded and left the room.

"So why did you call us?" Tess asked.

"Your aunt although comes here rarely." The Minister began. "She talks a lot."

Tess chuckled. "I get that a lot."

"But Tess." Fudge continued. "Your mother was not accepted into Hogwarts when she was 11. She actually transferred in her third year from the Salem Institute for a better education. You on the other hand have a unique heritage half of the United Kingdom and half of the United States. Because of that, you have a special privilege of choosing schools."

"Choosing schools?" Tess asked. "Is that really possible?"

"Well both Salem and Hogwarts have your file and are ready to take you." Sara said. "But it's your choice."

"So...I can…" Tess trailed off. "Choose where I want to study at?"

"Choose wisely." Fudge warned. "Sara, why don't we give her the room?" The adults left the 11 year old child behind to think. Tess wanted to not be seen as a weak little girl, but at the same time she wanted to find out who she was. Her parents went to Hogwarts but America was in her blood. Then again, she never had any friends other than her cousin. And for Tess, it would be nice to belong and express herself without having to do something illegal. The choice she would make would determine her future and who she would be for the rest of her life.

About half an hour later, Fudge and Sara came back in. "Have you made up your mind?" Fudge asked her.

Tess looked them seriously and declared out loud, "I'm going to Hogwarts."

Fudge and Tess shook hands. "You made a good choice. Now all you need is a wand."

"My wand?" Tess asked confused and excited at the same time.

Sara, understanding what he meant thanked Fudge for his services and ran with Tess to the Floo chimney. When they arrived at Sara's destination, she said, "Welcome back Sara, to Diagon Alley."

Tess' eyes widened. She had never been to Diagon Alley in years and it looked exactly the same as she left it all when she was 6. It was terrifying in a remembering prospect. The streets were still buzzing with life and it was still narrow as ever. The air was practically filled with magic. Sara took Tess to this wand store called Ollivander's where the door was the only glass visible because of all the wands that piled the windows.

"So why don't you go in there and wait?" Sara asked her niece. "I just got one more thing to do."

Tess nodded obediently and entered inside the dusty store. It felt ancient inside but at the same time, something was pulling her in. Something that made her feel like it was tied to her very soul.

"Hallo?" Tess called out. No one answered so she cleared her throat and still no one. "Anybody home?"

"Ah." An ancient voice spoke, making Tess fly a foot in the air. "I wondered when I'd be seeing the first American to enter the shop."

"Does everyone know who I am?" Tess groaned.

"Not yet anyway." Mr. Ollivander said. "See, that's the thing Quintessa. Whether it is intended or not, people tend to know things. Besides, there's a certain wand here that has been waiting for a diverse person like yourself. We just need to find it." He reached for a wand box. "Try this. Made of sumac and has a core of unicorn hair. 13 and 1/2 inches long and is inflexible." Tess hesitantly grabbed it and gave it a quick swish, only to have a shelf burst in flames. Ollivander reacted quickly and put out the fire with a wave of his own wand.

"That's my bad." Tess said putting her hands up. "That's on me."

"No worry." Ollivander said. "There are other wands waiting for a holder. Try this one. Made of date wood and has a core of dragon heartstring. 10 and 1/2 inches long and is unyielding." Tess gave it another wave only to have the ladder fall almost on the wandmaker. Luckily he froze it in midair with magic and put it back in place.

"Oh my God!" Tess exclaimed, clearly panicking. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry!"

"No Quintessa don't worry." Mr Ollivander said to her.

"Don't worry?" Tess asked. "I almost killed ya!"

"Quintessa it's not the first time that incident has happened." Mr. Ollivander said. "Let's see about this one shall we? Made of sycamore and has a core of phoenix feather. 8 inches long and it is supple." Tess waved it and all that came out of it was a squeaking farting noise.

"Yeah that's a no-no." Tess cringed. Ollivander left deep into the wand shelves and looked for another wand, when he came across a shelf with a forgotten case. He picked it up and whispered, "Could it really be that simple?" He pondered for a minute before going over back to his front desk and just handed her the wand. Tess didn't bother to ask why he didn't tell her what kind of wand it was. When she held it though, she felt a warm comforting feeling radiating from the wand and spreading from her fingertips to her toes. She was also getting a serious case of pins and needles in her hands but she didn't care.

"Interesting." Ollivander noted. "Very, very interesting."

"Um…" Tess trailed off. "What is so interesting? 4th time's the charm right?"

"Oh it's not that simple Quintessa." Ollivander noted. "That wand is 11 and a half inches with a dragon heartstring core. It's what makes it that is only half as interesting as this case."

"So what's it made of?" Tess asked.

Mr. Ollivander's ancient silver eyes pierced into her very soul as if he was trying to read her very soul. "Quintessa, you are holding in your hand, the only wand in the entire UK that is made of some of the wood of the Liberty Tree."

Tess eyes widened and her heart started racing. "T-t-the Liberty Tree? The tree in which the Sons of Liberty gathered in?"

"That is correct." Mr. Ollivander said. "There aren't many wands like that one, so consider yourself very fortunate. It is curious that you should be destined for this unique wand considering that your mother was American and yet you have very ancient United Kingdom wizarding blood flowing through your veins."

"So you're saying that this wand was waiting for me all my life?" Tess asked.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Quintessa." Ollivander said to the little girl. "It's always not clear why. But I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you. After all… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible, yes but great."

So Tess, going with it, paid 10 Galleons for it and heard a tapping noise. "Tess!" Aunt Sara exclaimed. "It's a belated Birthday present. All the British kids use them." In the cage she was holding, was a black owl with the most yellow of eyes that Tess had ever seen. It was like the owl was putting a knife through her heart. So Tess walked outside, with her wand box in hand and took observation of the strange bird. It was like a hurricane, stormy and ruthless on it's wall, but calm in the center. "What are you going to call him?" Sara asked.

"I'm gonna call her." Tess emphasized. "Crucible."

"I like it." Sara said smilng. The duo went back to New York via Floo where Tess found the rest of her school supplies waiting for her on the bed. Ignoring them, Tess looked out into the night sky and said,

"Remember Tess, you're going to the most ranked school for magic in the world. Don't screw it up."


	5. Good-Bye America, Hello Wild Unknown

A month had passed since she accepted to go into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For that time spent, Tess had studied the map she had managed to buy with the savings from the races of Hogwarts. And she spent time hanging out with Johnnie and Sara more because for the next few months, she wouldn't see them at all. That was the funny thing about boarding school. It was like going to college but at a very young age.

Finally, September 1st came and it was time for Tess to board the midnight train going anywhere. Tess stood in front of the suitcases in the trunk of the taxi before Johnnie gave her a fistbump. Tess was wearing a black tanktop under a blue/black/white flannel shirt jacket, jeans and grey Converse sneakers. Her hair was it's usual mess.

They went to the Magical Congress where they took the Floo network to England, took a taxi to King's Cross and in no time, they were walking in the hallway.

"Wow." Johnnie admired. "Lots of No Maj's, which means this will be the last time you will see normal. How you feeling?"

"You're talking to an ex broom racer." Tess said, pushing her trolley. "It takes a lot more to get me scared."

"Yep." Aunt Sara said from behind them. "You're nervous."

"You have nothing to fear cousin." Johnnie said. "Don't be so tense."

"I'm not tense Johnnie." Tess groaned.

"What's your catchphrase?" Sara asked. "You think this is hard, try being dead?"

"No it's woman up." Tess said.

"Just promise you'll write." Sara said.

When they arrived at the wall, which was the secret passage to the Hogwarts Express train station.

"Do you want us to walk in with you?" Sara asked. Tess nodded yes and they all entered the train station that was entirely different than King's Cross. Kings Cross was full of predictability and proper things. That station was different. On the tracks was a scarlet steam engine train that seemed to stretch for miles and miles. The people were dressed in robes and chatting with animals fluttering and flying. Tess, who was still beaming with wonder was still dropped looked up to see the sign that said, "Platform 9 ¾."

She had arrived. "Just as amazing as when I came last time." Sara said.

"Is this a good idea?" Tess asked when they had loaded Tess' luggage. "It's not feeling like I thought it would."

"It's what you wanted Tess." Sara reminded her.

"Aunt Sara." Tess said. "No one said that Hogwarts doesn't have any North Americans."

"I'm sure there's more of us somewhere." Johnnie said.

"Don't go." Tess pleaded.

Sara looked at her niece with contempt. "It's too late for a change of heart now. This will be the hardest part sweetie. Tomorrow, it's a new life. You'll be in your element, where you belong. I love you so much I could pop." Sara and Johnnie gave Tess a big hug and let her go. But before she got on the train Sara called out, "Wait. Last hug." Sara did said action and Tess boarded the train.

Johnnie and Sara looked at the train with humility. "Do you think she will be fine?" Sara asked.

"Mom." Johnnie said. "If there's one thing we know about Tess, it's that she's not afraid to take risks."


	6. Meet the Fellowship of Misfits and Freaks

Once Tess dropped her luggage and showed her ticket, she boarded the train with confidence. She was sure that she was going to do great. But she couldn't help but feel nervous at the same time. Finally looking to her left, she saw inside one of the compartments, a boy about her age with about the same build but way skinnier, like he hadn't eaten in a long time. He had clothes that were a bit too oversized for the boy.

"Yo." Tess said, opening the compartment door. "You mind if I pop and drop?"

The boy tilted his head sideways. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh sorry." Tess said quickly. "I meant could I sit here?"

"Go ahead." The boy said to her.

"My name's Tess Crosswell." She said, shaking his hand.

"I'm Harry Potter." The boy said.

Despite what name he said was his, Tess seemed unfazed. "Oh cool."

Harry looked confused. "You're not going to scream in excitement?"

"Harry even in America you're famous for what happened when you were in a diaper." Tess said to him. "But I see you as a freaking lucky kid. Not that I'm trying to put you down, I'm just saying that I want to save you one less person to fangirl over you."

"Fangirl?" Harry questioned.

"American term for uber fan." Tess explained.

"But thank you." Harry said. "You're the first person to not see me a some museum artifact."

"My pleasure." Tess said. "So Harry, tell me about yourself."

A couple of hours passed and Tess and Harry knew pretty much each other's backstories.

"Your childhood nemesis…" Tess trailed off in shock. "Is your own cousin? That is messed up."

Harry laughed. "Not as messed up as when you actually gambled in a casino when you were 9."

"I was trying to get Jonnnie an awesome birthday present!" Tess whined.

"Excuse me." Another boy said from the compartment floor. He had big hands and feet, a collage of freckles painted on his face, vibrant red hair, and a long nose. "Do you mind? Everywhere else is full."

"Not at all." Tess said, gesturing to the seat next to Harry.

"I'm Ron by the way." The ginger haired boy introduced himself.

"Tess Crosswell." Tess said to Ron.

"And I'm Harry." Harry said. "Harry Potter."

Ron's jaw dropped to the floor. "So...so it's true! I mean...do you really have the…"

"The what?" Harry asked.

"The scar." Ron whispered. Harry got the picture and swept back his bangs to reveal a scar int the shape of a lightning bolt. "Wicked!"

"Coolio!" Tess exclaimed.

It was then that they heard the rattling of a cart. "Anything off the trolly dears?" The lady asked.

"No thanks." Ron said meekly, holding a pack of sandwiches. "I'm all set."

"We'll take the lot!" Harry exclaimed, taking out a bunch of Galleons.

"Whoa!" Ron exclaimed at the sight of the money.

"Not bad." Tess noted.

Harry had gotten a piece of everything, literally. They had plowed through mountains of sweet sugary candy.

"Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?" Harry read from said box of candy.

"They mean every flavor." Ron noted. "There's chocolate and peppermint, and there's also spinach, liver and tripe."

"Oh." Tess said. "So it's like that Infi-Taste gum American wizards have. And the other thing that separates it from muggle gum is that it never loses it's flavor and when the bubble pops, it releases a gas that smells like the flavor."

"Bloody Hell Tess!" Ron exclaimed. "What else does the American Wizarding World have?"

"Lots of things!" Tess exclaimed.

"These aren't real frogs are they?" Harry asked uncertain.

"What is that?" Tess asked.

"Oh it's just a spell." Ron said chewing some food. "It's actually the cards you want. Each pack has a famous witch or wizard. I've got about 500 meself." Harry opened the pack and out sprung an anthropomorphic chocolate frog that jumped out of the window. "That's rotten luck. They've only got one good jump in them to begin with." Harry turned over his hard to see that it was Albus Dumbledore but when he turned to look at it again, he was gone. "Hey, he's gone!"

"Well you can't expect him to hang around all day, can you?" Ron asked incredulously. "This is Scabbers by the way." He diverted his attention to the rat squirming for food. "Pathetic isn't he?"

"Just a little bit." Harry said.

"Fred gave me a spell to turn him yellow." Ron said. "Wanna see?"

"Yeah." Harry said excited.

"Bring it." Tess added on.

Ron pulled out his wand and was about to say the spell when another girl about their age entered. She had extremely bushy brown hair and bushy eyebrows, but the way she stood meant she was pretty bossy and stuck up.

"Has anyone seen a toad?" She asked. "A boy named Neville has lost one."

"Nope." Tess raised her hands in surrender. "No frogs here."

"It's called a toad." The girl said in a snobbish attitude.

"Toad, frog." Tess dismissed. "They're just words."

"Oh." The girl said. "Are you doing magic? Let's see then."

Ron cleared his throat. "Sunshine, Daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow." He waved his wand and nothing happened.

"If that's the way we're gonna cast spells, I'm gonna kill myself." said a mortified Tess.

"Oh don't worry." said the bushy haired girl. "Frankly I'm not even sure he calls that a real spell. Well it's not a very good is it? Of course, I've only tried a few simple ones myself, but they've all worked for me." Tess rolled her eyes at her snobbish attitude. She had met girls like her before, even one going by the name Rachel Berry. "For example." The bushy haired girl whipped out her wand and pointed it at Harry's face. "Oculus Repairo."

"Ocular Repair." Tess instantly translated. Everyone looked at her surprised. "What? It's in Latin. In American Wizarding Primary school, you learn the basics of the language so to cast spells."

"Is there really an American Wizarding Primary School?" The bushy haired girl asked snobbishly.

"Yeah, because I'm American." Tess shot back.

"Really?" The girl asked, intrigued before launching a million questions.

"Whoa there!" Tess cried. "Let's start over, starting with our names. I'm Tess Crosswell."

"Oh forgive me." The girl looked around to land on Harry. "Holy cricket. You're Harry Potter! I'm Hermione Granger. And you are?"

"I'm Ron Weasley." Ron said with his mouth full.

"Pleasure." Hermione said leaving the compartment, her face wrinkling in disgust as Tess stuffed herself with Cauldron Cakes.

"What's her problem?" Ron asked.

" I don't know… but Boom!" Tess cried. "Drop the Mike!"

"What?" Ron asked.

"American expression." Tess explained. "And besides, guess who just ate 7 cauldron cakes in 17 seconds?"

"What?" Harry asked excited.

"How is that possible?" Ron asked.

"Ronald." Tess said. "You're talking to a girl who once ate a gallon of ice cream in one hour."

"I thought you said your family was poor." Ron said.

"You're talking to an apparent ex-broom racer." Harry said.

"Isn't that illegal?" Ron asked.

"Yes it is." A rather snobbish voice said out loud only belonging to Hermione. "Broom racing is the cause of street crime and murder in parts of the world. I read all about it. You shouldn't get in trouble with the law."

"Shouldn't you be getting into your books?" Tess challenged.

"Shouldn't you three be changing into robes?" Hermione asked.

"Wait." Tess put her hand up and looked at the uniform Hermione was wearing. "I'm gonna have to wear... **that**?"

"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed. "It shows where you belong. Oh and Ron, you've got dirt on your nose." She marched away, her nose still high in the air.

"She's not serious is she?" Tess asked. "You Brits don't actually wear uniforms do ya?"

"Uh…" Harry cringed. "Tess, I don't quite know how to put this….In here, whenever you go to school, you have to wear a uniform."

Only one word could describe Tess' face:

Horror.


	7. I Hate Flats and Oversized Coats

Tess looked in the mirror, to find staring back at her, a girl who was wearing the first year uniform. The skirt felt like weight on her waist and the flats were crushing her feet. It took Tess 30 tries to put the tie on properly. Sighing, Tess strutted out of the bathroom into the compartment where Harry and Ron were already in their robes.

"So Tess." Ron said. "How does it feel to wear a uniform for the first time?"

"Well Ron." Tess said. "One way I find to express myself is through my clothes and now I am deprived of that. This feels like communism. That's why the Crucible was written."

"The what?" Harry and Ron asked in synch.

"Long story." Tess said as the train came to a stop. The trio along with the rest of the hundreds of students all with different colors on their ties. All the first years walked towards what was a giant man.

"Hello Harry." The giant said in a gruffy voice.

"Hi Hagrid." Harry said to the giant man.

"Whoa big guy!" Tess exclaimed at the sight of him.

"Alright!" Hagrid said. "This way to the boats. Follow me!" The first year class followed Hagrid to the boats where they pulled themselves to this grand, immense, and magnificent castle. It was nighttime, but it seemed to glow with wonder. It was none other than Hogwarts Castle itself.

"Holy Shit." Tess whispered at the sight she was beholding.

"I was gonna say wicked but that works too." An Irish boy whispered in her ear. "I'm Seamus Finnagan."

"Hi I'm Tess Crosswell." She said to Seamus. They had gotten to the shore in no time and Hagrid knocked on the door.

"Let them in." A voice sounded on the other side. Tess took a big breath as she whispered a phrase that set off the year for her.

"No turning back."


	8. Introducing, My Other Family

The first year class entered the massive hallway. It looked like about a third of the Grand Central Station, that was big and yet central at the same time. They wandered up the stairway to meet a tall black haired witch in emerald green robes. Tess' first thought of her was to respect her as her teacher. Tess wasn't scared of anyone or anything but there were those she respected for their authority.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." She said in a firm, stern voice. "I am Professor McGonagall Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. There are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points, is awarded the house cup."

"Trevor!" A boy cried out running to the poor frog on the stairs at McGonagall's feet. "Sorry." He disappeared within the crowd.

"The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." McGonagall left the class through the doors behind her.

"It's true then." A voice spoke out. "What they're saying on the train. Harry Potter and an American has come to Hogwarts."

Immediately like a gunshot, whispered came around. "You don't have to whisper you know." Tess said annoyed. "We're right here."

"Oh where are my manners?" The boy spoke out, stepping out to reveal a pale pointed faced boy with albino platinum hair that had a bit too much gel. The way he stood looked like he was raised in a very rich life. "This is Crabbe and Goyle." He gestured to the very big and burly boys next to him. "And I'm Malfoy." He walked up in front of Harry and Tess. "Draco Malfoy."

Ron coughed/laughed. Draco's head whipped in his direction. "You think my name's funny do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand me down robe? You must be a Weasley."

It was Tess' turn to cough/laugh. "Whipped." She whispered to Ron and then turned to Draco. "Well judging by the amount of product in your hair, your painfully polished shoes and your knowledge of families, I'd say you must be stinking rich."

Draco turned to face her, but was surprised to see a rather cute girl in front of him. The messy hair certainly had to be taken of but it was her eyes that captured him. They were a troublemaker's eyes but the Malfoy heir couldn't deny that they were rather beautiful. But all these thoughts only took a second. "And who is this lovely lady?"

Tess was taken aback by the flirting. "M-m-my name's Tess Crosswell." She said nervously.

"No." Draco said. "I want your full name. Not some silly American name."

"Well that's for me to know and the rest of you Brits to figure out." Tess snapped. A few of the kids let out a few "ooooh's"

"You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others Potter." Draco said to Harry. "You don't wanna go making friends with the wrong sort." He looked at Tess and Ron. "I can help you there." He stuck out his hand. But all it took for Harry was one sentence to start the eternal rivalry between the two boys. "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself thanks."

Draco's face went a tinge of pink even when Professor McGonagall tapped his shoulder with a scroll and when within the crowds of kids.

"We're ready for you now, follow me."

Before Tess knew it, a golden door opened, revealing a stereotypical grand hall of a castle. Seated in the long tables were hundreds of students of all ages, all wearing pointed caps. On the tables were glittering golden goblets and plates. Floating in the air, were hundreds of candles and torches. Tess wondered if this was what a room looked like without electricity and just fire. Tess gulped when she saw the ceiling it looked like an extremely transparent dome. "Hermione?" She nudged the girl next to her. "When it rains, it's not gonna fall on us, is it?"

Hermione looked up and said, realizing Tess' question. "Oh that? The ceiling is actually not real. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts, a History."

"Of course you did." Tess mumbled. They arrived at the end of a hall to find a very ratty old hat that looked like it needed 9 washes in a laundry machine.

"Will you wait along here please?" McGonagall asked. "Now before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

In the table, where the teachers sat, rose a man in very colorful robes and had a huge white beard. "I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. First years please note, that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you. That the third floor corridor on the right hand side, is out of bounds. To anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you."

"Now when I call your name." McGonagall began. "You will come forth. I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses." She looked at the open scroll. "Hermione Granger."

Next to her, Hermione whimpered. "Oh no."

"Get up there girl." Tess said, pushing her. "Woman up."

"Mental." Ron whispered to Harry. "They both are."

Hermione sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head. "Hmmm." The hat said, coming alive. "Right then, hmm...right. OK. GRYFFINDOR!" Said table cheered and Hermione was welcomed into that table.

"Draco Malfoy!" McGonagall called out. Draco went up and the hat even barely touched his head when it yelled, "SLYTHERIN!" Said table also cheered.

"There's not a witch or wizard that went bad who wasn't in Slytherin." Ron whispered to Tess and Harry.

"Ron don't you think you're being unfair?" Tess asked. "You hardly know any of them."

Ron's ears went pink. "You Know Who was in that house."

"Oh come on Ron." Tess whispered. "You've been in this castle for only what, 15 minutes. I mean how much trouble could Slytherin be?" Tess looked at the Slytherin table and they did look rather mean, but at the same time, Tess couldn't help but feel sorry for them, having to be judged because of one Dark Wizard. Harry winced in pain, covering his scar. "Harry, what's the dealio?"

"Nothing." He covered up.

"Ronald Weasley!" McGonagall called out. Ron hesitantly stepped up and the hat instantly came alive when it touched his head.

"Another Weasley." The hat said. "I know just what to do with you. Gryffindor!"

When Harry was called up the hat took very long deciding where he would go. At first he considered Slytherin, but then he went to Gryffindor.

"Quintessa Crosswell." McGonagall called out. Tess walked up and sat slowly, feeling the light weight of the hat.

"Hmmm." The hat mused. "Difficult. Very, very difficult. Plenty of courage I see, keen powers of observation as well, and lots of wit for a little girl. But you do have a tendency to break the rules, not to mention you raced in dozens of broom races and you have broken into buildings and stolen things. New York must be a rough place to live. There's talent oh yes, and a thirst to be strong and you have a very powerful mystery that has plagued you your entire life, who you are, where you belong. Why don't we answer that question with where shall I put you?"

"I don't give a damn." Tess muttered. "Just put me somewhere."

"You don't care where you go eh?" The hat asked. "Are you sure? You chose your school, now you have a second choice you fit in these two houses, no? Slytherin or Gryffindor. Confused? That is a story for another time. And speaking of time, then it shall be….GRYFFINDOR!" Tess jumped and ran to the cheering table. She shook hands with most of the cheering wizards and Harry too. She looked to the table with the teachers and saw that Dumbledore was smiling at her but his twinkling eyes seemed to be saying to her, I'm keeping an eye on you, Quintessa.

Tess could only smile for what was the first time in her life that she felt like she didn't have to be on her guard.


	9. The Scholastic Magical-All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

When Dumbledore annonced the feast, it was as if the food formed itself on the tables and plates. Immediately, Tess' mouth watered at the sight and dug in with a bit of everything, including the humbugs, which Harry raised his eyebrow at.

"You're taking the humbugs too?" He asked her.

Tess shrugged. "I don't know what the devil are humbugs, but I'm trying them anyway."

"You really love taking risks don't you?" A tall redhead asked in a bossy tone. "You really don't care about consequences?"

"Totes!" Tess exclaimed.

"Totes?" Ron asked.

"You know." Tess said. "Oh right, you Brits don't speak English."

"Uh what you Americans speak is most certainly not English." Hermione said, chuckling a little.

"OMG Hermione." Tess challenged. "It is like so English. Don't get jelly."

"Is it true that you're actually from America?" A boy with dreadlocks asked. "I'm Lee Jordan."

"Yes I am from America." Tess said. "100% witch."

"I'm half and half." Seamus said. "Me dad's a muggle. Mum's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."

"Must have been." Tess noted.

"My gran brought me up." Neville squeaked. "The whole family was convinced I was a squibb."

"You're almost a squibb?" Tess asked. "That's cool. My aunt is a squibb and she brought me and my cousin up."

"Your aunt is a squibb?" Ron asked in his mouthful of drumsticks.

"What's a squib?" Harry asked.

"Someone who was born into a wizard family but has no magic powers." Tess answered, smiling in victory as she beat Hermione to it. She looked over to Ron and asked in shock, "Jesus Ronald! How many of those drumsticks are you gonna have?"

"As many as I want." Ron pulled a drumstick from the pile of them and out popped a ghost's head.

"Hello." The ghost said cheerfully. "How are you? Welcome to Gryffindor!" Ghosts floated in and out all over the Great Hall.

"Oh so these are friendly ghosts?" Tess asked skeptically.

"Oh and there are no ghosts in America?" The ghost in the dinner plate asked curiously.

"Oh there are." Tess said. "I mostly know the ones in Salem. But they're not nice. They just try to kill you in the way they were killed. I almost got crushed by stones once and this old man kept saying, "More weight."

"Crikey!" The ghost exclaimed.

"I know you!" Ron said. "You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I prefer Sir Nicholas if you don't mind." Nick said.

"Nearly headless?" Hermione asked, sneering. "How can you be nearly headless?"

"Like this." Nick said irritably. He pulled his head left and his head almost came off and it was still attached to some skin. Obviously someone didn't behead him properly. It took Tess every ounce of strength to not barf.

"Hermione." Tess began. "Is there a way you could have picked a more convenient time to ask that question when we weren't I don't know...stuffing food down our stomachs?!"

Dinner ended before Tess could blink and they were led to their dorms by Percy the Prefect. Tess admired the infinite staircases and the massive amount of pictures that littered the walls. She had to be reminded to move ahead because she stopped to look at the moving staircases. Once they arrived in the common room and directed to their rooms, Tess got dressed in her nightclothes and went to bed.

Or so she tried. Tess kept tossing and turning because she was just too excited. She got out of bed and tip toed to the window stand where she sat down. Sighing, she took out her photograph of her mother, Morgan Crosswell. She was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. The stereotypical American witch. Tess smiled sadly at the photo. The photo was Morgan smiling in front of Big Ben, twirling and laughing.

"Mom." Tess whispered, before looking out into the sky. "I'll make you proud. I promise."


	10. Sticking Out Like A Sore Thumb

Tess wandered around the corridors in the morning after breakfast of course. She still couldn't help but be fascinated by the British food. When the bell rang, Tess pulled out her map and followed it to McGonagall's class, her first period. When the other students started arriving, she sat down in an empty seat, she was approached by Draco Malfoy.

"Unbelieveable." He spoke in his drawling voice. "You have Slytherin capability and yet you chose the lions."

"What's your point Draco?" Tess challenged. "That I should have joined the Slytherins? It doesn't matter. What's done is done. But you wanna know why I won't join the snakes? Because I don't trust a boy with gel in his hair. I can't help but picture, a giant dog, licking all that back and I find it disgusting." Draco's ears turned pink. "You wanna sit with me?"

Draco looked surprised. "You're a Gryffindor, I'm a Slytherin. We're not supposed to do things like that in the UK."

Tess rolled her eyes. "Is everyone here prejudiced? Seriously, we're all the same human beings."

"Hey!" Some other Slytherin girls called out to Draco to go sit with them.

"I have to go." Draco said.

One of the girls from Slytherin, whose name Tess would learn to be Pansy Parkinson, came up to her and said, "Look Yankee, I don't care where you're from or how things work there, but this isn't America anymore. Stay on your side and we'll stay on ours."

"I'm sorry." Tess said. "I wasn't listening. What did you say? Matter of fact, I'm not gonna care."

"Children take your seats." McGonagall called out. The class went quite a little boring than what Tess expected until Harry and Ron burst in. Tess had to keep from laughing at their faces when the teacher transformed back into a person from a cat.

"You got spanked by a teacher on your first day." Tess whispered to them.

"Miss Crosswell!" McGonagall called out.

"Sorry." Tess apologized.

Turning back to her paper, Tess began to wonder, was this how the European schools were?


	11. How to Identify Teachers Who Tend To Be Assholes

The potion room, that was deep in the dark cold chambers, was not something Tess was looking forward to coming back to the minute she settled in. She was used to cold weather from New York, but the atmosphere of the room, made the class feel like they were in a freezing cave, probably because they were. Tess was chatting away with Ron who was her apparent lab partner when the teacher made his dramatic entrance.

"There will be no foolish wand waving." Professor Snape said. "Or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to understand the subtle science that is potion making, however for those...select few...who possess...the predisposition." Just by hearing the sound of his voice, Tess was intimidated. Like McGonagall, he had the ability to capture a person's attention with a quiet voice. But the way Snape did it was dark and mysterious. McGonagall's way had been strict, uptight and yet Tess with an eagerness to learn. "Then again... maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possesion of abilities so formidible that you feel confident enough….to not pay attention!" Hermione nudged Harry who looked up. Snape's eyes lifted and he took interest in Harry. "Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity. Tell me what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Tess' mouth dropped. "You've got to be kidding me." She whispered under her breath.

Harry shook his head while Hermione's hand still stood upright. "You don't know?" Snape asked. "Let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

"I don't know sir." Harry admitted.

"So what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape asked, growing impatient.

"I don't know sir." Harry said. Tess wasn't stumped because in Primary School back in New York, they had covered the basics of potions, but she wasn't going to get in the way.

"Pity." Snape drawled. "Clearly fame isn't everything, is it Mr. Potter?"

"Clearly Hermione knows." Harry snapped. "Seems a pity not to ask her."

The class chuckled while Tess laughed at the comeback. She truly was impressed by Harry Potter. "I'm impressed Potter." She said. "Didn't think you had that in ya." Snape marched over and sat in front of Harry. "For your information Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful, it is known as the Draught of the Living Dead. A bezoar is a stone taken from a stomach of a goat and will save you from most poisons. Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant and go by the alternate name, aconite. Well...why aren't you all copying this down?" Immediately, the entire class got out their quills and pencils and started writing it down. "And Gryffindors. Note that 5 points will be taken from your house, for your classmate's cheek." The Slytherins all snickered while Tess was in shock.

Things however, didn't improve for Gryffindor as the lesson continued. Everyone was lab partners as they were mixing a simple potion to cure boils. Snape went around criticizing everyone except Malfoy whom he seemed to like. All was going well-ish until Neville had somehow managed to melt his cauldron to a blob and got drenched in the potion. He began howling in pain as angry red boils sprung up his skin, even on his face. Tess without a second thought, rushed to Neville's aid and helped him get up. Whenever Tess saw someone in danger, she always rushed to help them.

"Idiot boy!" Snape snarled as he cleaned the potion with just one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" He took one look at Tess and pushed her aside. "Take him to the hospital wing." He told Seamus. He turned to Harry. "You-Potter- why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he would make you look good didn't you? That's another 5 points you lost for Gryffindor."

Finally Tess couldn't take it. She had known Snape for barely a day and she already hated his very presence. "Really Professor? Picking favorites and scapegoats? I can see why you apparently don't have a wife."

All the students gasped at her. Snape was experiencing a flashback of a certain Gryffindor who along with his friends would humiliate him somewhat in the way Tess did.

"Come with me Miss Crosswell." Snape grabbed her arm and led her to this statue of a phoenix. "Acid pops." There was a stairway forming and the duo climbed on it and stood in front of a door. "Wait here." He went inside and for a few minutes, Tess wondered what she had done. She was simply defending her fellow classmates. The door opened and Tess rushed in. Gazing down at her was Professor Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore.

"Sit down." The head of her house told her.

"Now." Dumbledore said to her quietly. "Would you like to tell us why you are here Quintessa?"

"I may have been out of line when I said that Snape doesn't have a wife." Tess admitted

"And why did you do that?" McGonagall asked.

"Because he was behasseling Harry and Neville." Tess said. "I know, I know. It was wrong, disrespectful and rude. But he asked Harry questions of higher years like what made the Draught of the Living Dead and what was the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane." McGonagall looked at Snape with a flustered look. "And then in our lab Neville had an accident. First Snape pushes me aside and asks someone else to take him to the hospital wing."

"I didn't want a foreigner forgetting what she chose." Snape drawled. "This is not America."

"Severus." McGonagall said. "Let her continue."

"Thank you Professor." She said. "Then he blamed Harry and took 5 points from him because he thought that having Neville hurt would make him look good. So I stood up to him for Harry because I don't think it was fair for Snape to judge him like that."

"Severus." Dumbledore said. "What do you have to say?"

"She is simply putting things the way Americans would." Snape said. "America. Such a country full of sloppy, arrogant, lazy fools and we have an example sitting here."

Tess' blood boiled at this but she did her best to hold her tongue. "Is that what you called my mother when she was here?" Tess asked.

"Quintessa." Dumbledore said. "Your mother and father had a history with Professor Snape when they went to school here. And you're almost like Morgan. She too stood up to teachers, but like you she needed to understand...that there's always a consequence for breaking the rules. As much courage that took, it wasn't the right way to say it."

"So you like the way I stood up to a person." Tess began. "But you don't like the way I did it."

"Headmaster." Snape said. "It is my strong recommendation that this foreigner is hereby expelled and put back where she belongs."

"That would be unjust to a first year and an exchange student such as Tess." Dumbledore said. "However, it is for Professor McGonagall to determine the appropriate punishment since she is the head of Gryffindor House."

"I have an idea." Tess said. "I'll serve detention. Snape's detention. It's the least I can do to make it up to him."

"I like this compromise." McGonagall said. "2 weeks, starting today you will serve detention with Snape in the Potion room."

"Thank you." Tess said. "And Professor, I'm sorry."

"This is outrageous." Snape said following her. "Listen here girl. You may be from another country but don't expect any special treatment like your arrogant brat of a friend Potter is getting. I will not be merciful on you Quintessa Crosswell."

Tess didn't move an inch, but she was scared by him. But she wouldn't go down without getting up. She leaned in close and hissed at Snape, "Bring it on." She turned around and skipped to the stairwell and climbed down to the Great Hall where lunch was being held.


	12. Hmmm.....

Tess' reputation became known as the strange American witch. She wasn't an outcast but she was still strange the the Hogwarts wizards. But they were careful around her, some even afraid to be within 5 yards of her. But she also stood up for the students the Slytherins bullied, case in point, Neville yet she tried to sit with the Slytherins three times and was kicked out immediately after, earning her the nickname, "The Slytherin Sympathizer." Tess understood when she first stepped in, that things would be more structured and enforced. But back in America, everyone was accepted, minus Squibbs. Muggleborns were accepted. Right then, that Thursday afternoon, was Tess coming in the Great Hall.

How did detention go over the past few days? Horrible. So cruel that it was not worth mentioning within context. It was only the day after the fifth day at lunchtime. Snape had been merciless from calling her a mutt spawn to having Snape force her mouth wide open so he could clean it 5 times when she got in detention, during it and when she went out out. And what he used wasn't soap at all. Tess was slowly learning to hold her tongue. Ignoring the glares from the Slytherin table, and yet a confused look from Malfoy, she made her way to her house table.

"Hey guys." Tess said.

"Hey Tess." Harry greeted her.

"Hello Slytherin Sympathizer." Ron muttered.

"Ronald." Tess said. "Get over it."

"How can I?" Ron asked. "Do you know that everyone in Slytherin is evil?"

"Ron, just because Voldemort…" Tess began before the entire Gryffindor table gasped.

"You said his name!" Fred and George chorused.

"So?" Tess asked. "I'm not a coward" Everyone shrugged at Tess and went back to work. Well Seamus mostly was trying to say a ridiculous spell to a goblet of water.

"What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?" Harry asked the two wizards next to him.

"Turn it into rum." Tess said.

"Actually guys he managed a weak tea yesterday." Ron pointed out. "Before…" Ron didn't finish because there was a loud boom and Seamus was covered in smoke.

"Before that?" Tess guessed.

"Something like it." Ron said, loud enough for her to hear because everyone was laughing. But then suddenly, the screech of owls could be heard. "Mail's here."

Hundreds of owls, all shapes and sizes poured in through the windows, dropping mail and presents, with the students jumping up and down to try to catch them.

Crucible flew in and dropped the American newspaper, the Eagle's Eye, a package, and a couple of letters from Johnnie and Sara. She opened Johnnie's letter and it read,

Dear Tess,

I hope you're doing well. Black Gate Academy is getting more expensive and it's tough. But we'll get by. I don't know if you understand this, but we miss you. Even Tituba. I know in your last letter, you made it short and sweet in order to keep us from panicking. Being in a new country is hard for you since Aunt Morgan died. But I know that you can pull through even though you still need to watch your mouth. I wish Dad was here. I love you and I miss you every day.

Johnnie.

P.S. I packed in a whole box of churros. Your favorite.

Tess' mouth watered as she gazed on the box. Rather than opening them then, she decided to save them until later if she was really hungry.

"Hey look!" Dean's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Neville's got a Remembrall."

"I read about those." Hermione piped up. "When the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something."

"The only problem is." Neville said, the glass ball in his hand already blood red. "I can't remember what I've forgotten."

Tess scoffed. "Well that's no help at all. If it could show you what you forgot, then it would be useful."

"Hey Ron." Harry whispered to him, while Hermione and Tess leaned in. "Someone broke into Gringotts. Listen. 'Believed to be the work of Dark witches or wizards unknown. Gringotts goblins while acknowledging the breach, insist nothing was taken. The vault in question number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that very same day.' That's odd. That's the vault Hagrid and I went to."

"Hmmm." Tess mused. "The vault emptied right before someone tries to rob one of the most highly secure vaults in the world. This can't be a coincidence."

"You're right Tess." Hermione said. "It can't be."


	13. A Smashing First Flying Lesson

Friday afternoon came in a rush and Tess found herself out on the open field with the rest of her first year house, and the Slytherins for their first flying lesson. Tess could easily ace this class, but she wasn't one to brag. She may have been impulsive, but she knew when to be a show off. Unlike Hermione who took every chance to show off her intelligence in every class she took. And it annoyed Tess to no end, but she knew that she could adapt to her because if there was one thing New Yorkers were experts at, it was adaption.

"Good afternoon class." The teacher, Madam Hooch said, gliding through the aisle of brooms.

"Good afternoon Madam Hooch." They first years answered in unison.

Hooch turned around and the entire class' attention with her look. Her eyes were like a hawk's, always watching it's prey. "Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well what are you waiting for? Everyone step to the left side of your broom." Everyone did said action. "Stick your right hand over the broom and say up."

"UP!" Immediately, brooms flew in Harry and Tess' hands. Tess looked at Harry in shock, because as far as she knew, Harry had no training in flying whatsoever. Everyone else was trying to get the broom in their hands and Draco's did as well. Hermione's simply rolled over as she commanded it. Ron's however, to the amusement of the fellow Gryffindors, stood up and smacked him hard on the nose.

"Shut up you guys." Ron said, smiling to the snickering wizards.

"Now." Hooch said, silencing the students. "Once you have hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight. You don't want to be sliding off the end. Once I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off the ground hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle, three...two…" She blew her whistle with a loud shrill.

Neville unfortunately, in a state of panic, kicked off the ground hard, and flew all over the place, zigzaging and before anyone could help, his robe got caught on a giant pole, before it ripped and fell down hard on the ground.

"Everyone out of the way!" Madam Hooch shouted, running to the fallen boy.

"Do you think he's alright?" Hermione asked.

"I hope so." Tess said. "That was a pretty brutal fall."

Hooch escorted Neville to the hospital wing, because he had a broken wrist. "Everyone is to keep their feet firmly on the ground, while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say Quidditch."

When Hooch and Neville were out of sight, Draco brought up the Remembrall that apparently, dropped out of Neville's pocket. "Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump would give this a squeeze, he'd remember to fall on his fat arse." Of course, the Slytherins laughed at his "joke."

"Leave it be Malfoy." A Gryffindor named Parvati Patil said.

"Ooh." Pansy sneered. "Sticking up for Longbottom? Never thought you of all people would care about crybabies like him.

"Give it here Malfoy." Harry said firmly.

"No." Draco said to Harry's face. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find." Mounting his broom, he took off. "How about on the roof?" Tess got a feeling that she should have expected some wizards to be able to fly. But still she was impressed by his skill. "What's the matter Potter? Bit beyond your reach?"

Harry, who was still fuming got on his broom but Hermione got in his way. "Harry, no way! You heard what Madam Hooch said. Besides, you don't even know how to fly." Harry, who wasn't even listening to her took off. "What an idiot." Hermione turned to the American witch next to her. "Are you going to even try to help?"

"Hermione." Tess said. "I can't get in the way of this."

"It's still not right!" Hermione hissed. "He's breaking the rules!"

"Right or wrong." Tess began, annoyed at her. "It's not my fight. Let's just see if Harry can do this."

Harry flew up with ease and demanded that Draco give him the remembrall. When Draco refused, he threw the ball and Harry sped after it, faster than a torpedo. It was close to hitting the wall, but he did somewhat of a flip and caught the ball. He flew back down where he was met with a crowd of screaming students.

"That wasn't bad Harry!" Tess exclaimed hugging him. "How much training have you had?"

"Harry Potter!" They all heard the strict voice of Professor McGonagall. "Follow me."

"Can I say it for him?" Tess asked once Harry was out of sight.

"Whatever you have to say." A black boy named Dean Thomas said. "Fire away."

"Oh crap." Tess finished.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Must you curse all the time?"

Tess merely shrugged in response. "It's an American thing."


	14. I Learn My Mom's Famous

"Have you heard that Harry Potter is the new Gryffindor seeker?" Sir Nicholas asked as he floated alongside the Grey Lady in the corridor. "I always knew he would do well."

"Seeker?" Tess asked, coming out of class with Ron and Harry. "But first years never make any sports teams even from where I'm from."

"What she means is that you must be the youngest Quidditch player in…"

"A century." Harry said cutting Ron off. "According to McGonagall."

"Hey well done Harry." Fred said to the first year trio. "Wood's just told us."

"Fred and George are on the team too." Ron explained to Tess' puzzled look. "Beaters."

Tess chuckled. "Makes sense."

"Our job is to make sure that Harry here doesn't get bloodied up too bad." George said, grinning like an idiot. "Though we can't make any promises of course. Rough game, Quidditch."

"Brutal." Fred piped up. 'But no one's died in years. Someone will vanish occasionally."

"But they'll turn up in a month or two!" George called out leaving the three alone in the courtyard.

Noticing the worried look on his friend's face, Ron said to Harry, "Go on Harry. Quidditch is great. Best game there is. And you'll be great too."

"But I've never even played Quidditch." Harry pointed out. "What if I make a fool out of myself?"

"Harry." Tess clapped his shoulder. "You're not gonna screw up. Because you my friend? You've got guts and that says something coming from a witch who grew up in a city of dragon-eat-dragon."

"Besides Harry." They all turned around to the bossy voice of Hermione. "It's in your blood, as it is in Tess'."

Beaming at the puzzled expressions of the trio, Hermione led them to the alumni trophy case of Quidditch players. There were 2 plaques showing significant names. James Potter, who was the seeker and Morgan Crosswell who was a Chaser. Both players were on Gryffindor.

"Tess!" Ron exclaimed. "You never told me your mom went to Hogwarts and was on the team with Harry's father!"

"Two-thirds of that sentence I was unaware of." Tess could only say in shock.


	15. Here's Why Some People Prefer Cats

Tess walked out of her last day of detention, her mind still throbbing from the ten thousand facts about potions Snape made her memorize. She still felt bad for crossing a line for absolutely no reason. Tess could be somewhat of a bully but she only did it as a defense mechanism to make sure no one hurt her. Snape had mentioned in his yelling that he lost the girl he loved to Potter. Obviously it wasn't Harry so it must have been a relative or his father. Tess wanted to tell Harry this but she figured that he needed time with him being seeker and everything so she would tell him later. She stopped to tie her sneakers. Mentioning of which, a few days after she got to Hogwarts, Tess was so sick of wearing "communism" that she changed her look. She still wore her white button up white t shirt that had the sleeves rolled up with the tie perfectly done, jeans and her usual black Converse sneakers.

Right then, she was making her way to the Great Hall when she spotted Draco and Harry arguing over something. Then when she got closer, she heard something about a wizard's duel when the Slytherin trio left.

"Ok what happened?" Tess asked.

"Well Malfoy challenged me to a duel." Harry explained. "And Ron kind of accepted it for me but I need to give Malfoy a piece of my mind."

"Hold up, hold up here." Tess said putting her hand up and taking a few breaths. "OMG hold up. A wizard's duel? When you've been here for barely two months and don't know a single thing about dueling or combat? Are you pulling my leg?"

"No as a matter of fact I am not." Ron said, matter-of-factly. "I am facing Malfoy tonight in the trophy room as Harry's second."

"With what experience and training?" Tess nearly screeched. "Dudes, you can't fight now when you're not even close to being an Auror! You two aren't going to a wizard's duel. You're going to a wizard's humiliation! And I'm pretty sure that Malfoy can't throw a punch without his bodyguards. In other words, where I'm from duels, no matter what the circumstances, are pretty serious."

"And you still should have gone to a teacher." They all heard the bossy voice of Hermione Granger. "It's what I would have done."

"Thank you Hermione." Tess said, her purple eyes gleaming. "But I don't believe I was talking to you. Are you a ginger or a guy with glasses? No I didn't think so."

Later that night, the three wizards, Harry, Ron and Tess left in their pajamas to go to the trophy room. But when they stepped outside of the portrait hole they saw a fuming Hermione in a pink bathrobe.

"I just went to the trophy room and guess what?" Hermione said, her nose high up in the air. "No one was there! Malfoy tricked you all."

"We don't care about what you have to say." Ron said. 'We're going."

"You'll lose points!" Hermione hissed but when they were climbing the stairs, the staircase started moved.

"What's happening?" Harry asked.

"The staircases change." Hermione reminded him. "Remember?" The staircase stopped in front of a door with a single light.

"Let's just go this way." Tess said.

"Yeah before the staircase moves again." Ron quipped.

But when they stepped inside, they were greeted with a sight of a dark gloomy room. "Dark." Tess said out loud. "Dirty and filled with cobwebs. Anybody feel like we shouldn't be here?"

"We're not **supposed** to be here." Hermione emphasized. "This is the third floor, it's forbidden."

Suddenly, a torch lit aflame. "Let's go." Harry said but when they turned around they saw a rather large fluffy cat that had red demonic eyes that seemed to know everything.

"It's Filch's cat!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Run!" Ron exclaimed. The quartet ran off down the corridor down to a locked door. Harry tried to open it but no lock.

"Give me a couple of seconds guys!" Tess said, taking out a bobby pin. "I think I can pick it."

"Oh move over!" Hermione shoves Tess away and waved her wand. "Alohomora!" The door magically opened and they rushed inside.

"Alohomora?" Ron quizzed the brunette.

"Standard Book of Spells, chapter 7." Hermione said.

"Guys shush." Harry said, putting his ear next to the door and when they heard no movement and Filch leaving, the sighed in relief. "Filch is gone."

"He thinks this door is locked." Ron said.

"It **was** locked." Hermione reminded them.

"And for a damn good reason." Tess squeaked. The others stood next to her to see to their horror, a giant three-headed dog, waking up and growling at them. Instantly, the four screamed and quickly burst out of the room, just barely. And faster than the speed of light, they ran to the portrait to their dormitory.

"Where have you four been?" The Fat Lady of the Portrait asked.

"Never mind." Harry grumbled. "Pig snout."

"What do they think they're doing?" Harry asked once they entered inside. "Keeping a thing like that, locked up in a school?"

"Even the John Proctor school for Boys in America doesn't have something like that!" Tess exclaimed. "And that's saying something considering it's in Arizona!"

"You three don't use your eyes don't you?" Hermione asked. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"I wasn't looking at it's feet!" Ron exclaimed. "I was a bit preoccupied with it's heads! Or maybe you didn't notice. There were three!"

"It was standing on a trapdoor." Hermione pointed out. "Which means it wasn't there by accident. It's guarding something."

The other three wizards looked at her confused. "Guarding something?"

"That's right." Hermione said with her nose high in the air. "Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed, before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed, or worse, expelled." Hermione still huffing, slammed the door in their faces.

"She needs to sort out her priorities." Ron muttered with Harry and Tess nodding in agreement.

Tess opened the door, finding the rest of the girls asleep. So she just took off her bathrobe, revealing her tantop and shorts pajamas. Lying in her bed, Tess couldn't help but wonder

What was it, hidden at Hogwarts, that they didn't want people finding out?


	16. Arch nemesis Number 2

The lesson in the Defense Against the Dark Arts was somewhat interesting for a certain Gryffindor and a certain Slytherin. But unfortunately, there were two students about to increase their rivalry.

"To be honest." Tess said to Ron. "This is more hands on than in Muggle schools."

"I can see why." Ron whispered.

"Conversing with a Yankee Weasley?" They all heard the taunting voice of Malfoy. "Planning to put all of your family out of their misery and move to that dump of a country?"

Tess could only roll her eyes. "Go back to the snake pit Malfoy." Ron countered.

"Not respecting your superiors?" Goyle asked. "Not very discreet of you."

"Do you even know what the word discreet means?" Harry asked. "Or did you just ask Malfoy, who apparently can count to ten on his own?"

All the students and even some of the Slytherins roared with laughter. "Nice!" Tess high fived Harry.

"Very astute Potter." Draco drawled. "Unless of course you actually can make it in one piece during your Quidditch match."

"Well don't worry Malfoy." Tess said. "Our chances of winning are piled as high as the empty hair gel bottles in the trash of your common room!" Draco's jaw dropped as Ron and Harry high fived her.

"At least I'm not the one whose foreign!" Draco shouted. "At least I'm the one who actually has money while you Americans are always scraping for food!"

Everyone's eyes widened as Tess took steady breaths, her bright purple eyes madnening with rage. "ALRIGHT! LEMME AT HIM!" She charged towards him but it took 6 Gryffindors just to pull her back, a couple ended up being punched.

"Alright c-ch-ch-children." The ever stuttering voice of Professor Quirrell said. "L-L-Let's s-s-top the fight." Instantly, Tess calmed down and the fighting stopped. "N-n-now. L-Let's hug it out."

Draco and Tess laughed loudly before looking horrified. "I'd rather not do that." Draco said.

"I really really don't see that happening." Tess muttered.

"Th-This class do-doesn't end w-without you t-two h-ugg-ging it out." Quirrell stumbled.

Draco and Tess stepped toward each other and took a big breath before "hugging each other."

"I will destroy you." Draco whispered in her ear.

"I am about to vomit down your back." Tess muttered loud enough for him to hear.

"It's on." Draco whispered.

From that moment forward, Tess and Draco became sworn enemies. But did they really hate each other?


	17. Trick Or Treat, Don't Smell This Troll's Feet

The charms lesson was anything but interesting on that Halloween afternoon for Tess. Most of the first years had their heads on books, including her. Because of Johnnie's books that she read whenever he came home for Christmas or Spring, she had pretty much knew the first year course. But unlike Hermione she was just going to go with the flow and keep her knowledge to herself. After all, she came to England to start over.

"One of the wizards most rudimentary skills, is levitation." Professor Flitwick said, snapping Tess out of it. "Or the ability to make objects fly. Do you all have your feathers? Good." Flitwick whipped out his wand. "Now don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing. The swish and flick. Everyone?" Everyone repeated him. "Good. Oh and enunciate. Wingardium Leviosa off you go then." Everyone tried, with very lame tries. Tess didn't really try in an effort to blend in.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Ron's arms were moving like a windmill. But, Hermione also noticed this error. "Stop, stop, stop. You're going to take someone's eye out. Besides you're saying it wrong it's Leviosa not Leviosar. Make the gar nice and long."

Ron looked annoyed at this. "You do it if you're so clever. Go on, go on."

Hermione glared at him before whipping out her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa." Instantly, the feather lifted, capturing the entire class' attention.

"Oh well done!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed. "See here everyone! Miss Granger's done it! Splendid."

Noticing Ron's displeased locked us leaned over and whispered, "Awww. Don't get jelly." Tess swore that she saw Ron's face go redder than his hair.

But suddenly, a loud ka-boom went off. Everyone snapped their heads to Seamus Finnigan whose face was covered in soot and smoke.

"I think we're going to need another feather over here professor." Harry whispered.

"Start with a hearing aid." Tess winced, holding her ears because she was right next to Seamus.

Tess, Harry, Ron, Dean, and Seamus walked out of Charms class, all conversing. "It's Levioosa!" Ron taunted. "Not Leviosar!" The rest of the posse laughed. "She's a nightmare! Honestly! I mean it's no wonder she hasn't got any friends!"

There was someone bumping in Tess and when they saw her it was none other than Hermione Granger who was running and disappearing into the crowd

"I think she heard you." Harry muttered. Tess scowled at Ron before running into the crowd.

"Hermione!" Tess called out. "Hermione! Hermione, where are you!" Tess looked in every direction, but she couldn't find Hermione, not even for the two other classes before dinner.

Halloween overall for Tess turned out to be fascinating. Back in America, they would take the day off to have Spirit Day and celebrating surviving the Witch Hunts. But most of the freshmen would be celebrating getting candy.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked when they were in dinner.

"I tried finding her." Tess said. "Pavati said that she's been in the girl's bathroom all afternoon, crying."

Harry looked at Ron who was stuffing his mouth with food and said with brutal sarcasm, "Gee, I wonder why."

Ron simply shrugged when Professor Quirrell burst through the door screaming, "TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!" Everyone was silent as statues. "Thought you ought to know." He then fainted, casuing everyone to scream and run out of the Great Hall in a panic.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore boomed, getting everyone to stop. "Everyone will please not panic! Now, prefects Will take their house back to the dormitories. Teachers, will follow me to the dungeons." The Hall was again filled with noise as the Prefects led the students to the dorms.

"Gryffindors follow me please and stay alert and together!" Percy barked.

"I don't understand." Tess said to Ron and Harry. "This school is supposed to be one of the safest places on the planet. How the hell could a troll get in?"

"I don't know." Ron said. "Trolls are really stupid. It's probably a joke."

Harry's Eyes widened as he pulled Ron and Tess aside. "Hermione, she doesn't know!"

Harry, Tess and Ron started running in the corridor when Tess stopped them. "You guys smell that? It's like...moldy cheese and puke."

"Thanks Tess." Ron grimaced. "I just ate."

"You're always just eating." Tess said.

But then they heard a loud bestial voice. "I think the troll's left the dungeon." Harry said. Tess yanked their ears and they crept behind a corridor. "It's going into the girl's bathroom."

Ron groaned. "Why the girl's bathroom?"

"Consider this payback for insulting her." Tess hissed. They heard a loud scream and a crash erupt from the girl's bathroom. They burst into the room and they saw Hermione buried under wooden pieces of the bathroom stalls.

"Hermione move!" Harry exclaimed. The trio picked up pieces of wood and started throwing them at the troll.

"YO!" Tess shouted. "Meathead!" She pitched the piece of wood, baseball style, hitting the target right on. The troll was momentarily distraced by this and saw Hermione creep from the wood pieces and smashed one of the sinks.

"HELP!" She screamed. Harry grabbed the troll's club and climbed on the troll's neck. The troll shook it's head until Harry stuck it's wand up it's nose.

"Ok." Tess said. "That's disgusting."

The troll seemed confused until it kept jerking around until he grabbed Harry by the leg.

"Do something!" Harry yelled. The troll swung his club and Harry dodged it. Ron, thinking quickly, whipped out his wand and recited the first spell that came to his mind.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The club was lifted out of the troll's hand and it landed, hitting him right on the head. "Cool."

Tess ran to Harry and pulled him out as the troll began to sway and sway until it fell down.

"Is it…" Hermione asked. "Dead?"

Tess leaned down as pressed two fingers next to the troll's neck. "No. A hit like that on his head is gonna leave nothing but a grade 1 concussion. And he's got a pulse so, he's just out cold."

Harry leaned over and got his wand out of the nose covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue. "Ugh. Troll bogies."

And just in the nick of time, the teachers came in. "Oh!" McGonagall exclaimed with the school nurse, Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape, and Professor Quirrell. "Oh my goodness! Explain yourselves! Both of you!"

"The thing was.." Harry said.

"We were just…" Ron babbled.

"It's just that…" Tess said.

"It's my fault Professor McGonagall." Hermione piped up silencing everyone.

"Miss Granger?" The Transfiguration teacher asked in shock.

"I went looking for the troll." Hermione said. "I read about them, thought I could handle it." Harry, Ron, and Tess couldn't believe their ears. Hermione Granger, the prodigal witch, telling a lie to a teacher? "But I was wrong. If Harry, Ron and Tess had not found me, I'd probably be dead."

Harry looked down and saw blood running down Snape's leg. Snape noticed this and quickly covered it with his robes. "Be that as it may." McGonagall said. "It was an extremely foolish thing to do. I would have expected more rational behavior and I am very disappointed in you Miss Granger. 5 points will be taken from Gryffindor. For your serious lack of judgement." She turned to the trio. "As for you three. I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many first year students could take down a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. 5 points, will be awarded to each of you. For sheer dumb luck."

The teachers left but Quirrell stayed behind. "P-Perhaps you ought to go. It m-m-m-ight wake up." He told the students.

Harry, Ron, Tess, and Hermione walked down the corridor to their common room where the House was finishing their feast.

"We should have gotten more than fifteen points," Ron grumbled.

"Ten, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's." Tess reminded him

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Harry admitted. "She might not have needed saving if you hadn't insulted her."

"Oh." Tess said. "What are friends for?" She put her arms around Hermione and Ron. Harry put his arm around Ron as well.

"Pig snout," they said and entered. There was an awkward silence before Hermione said, "Guys, thanks." They all laughed and smiled because from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend and their sister. It was the unknown start of the Golden Quartet. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.


	18. Tempus Fugit

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. And before anyone knew it, the Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday morning, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.

It was different for Tess. In America, there would be more sports including, swimming, baseball, hockey, martial arts, and cheerleading. But in Hogwarts, there was only Quidditch. Tess was still looking forward to it no matter the circumstances. And they would play against other schools whether it would be home or away. Black Gate wasn't the only school for witches and wizards in North America.

Hardly anyone had seen Harry play even in practice, because Wood had declared that the secret weapon should be a surprise. But unfortunately, there was an unspoken rule of no secret being kept secret in Hogwarts School because somehow, the news leaked out and Harry being the Seeker spread like wildfire all over the school. Even Tess had gotten letters from her cousin and aunt who somehow found out about the news, though she suspected that Dumbledore might have had something to do with it.

It was really lucky that the team now had Hermione as a friend. Harry didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. Ron still quarrelled with Hermione but it was good banter Harry and Tess enjoyed. Tess and Hermione still were rivals but they were friendly rivals. Hermione tried to get Tess to wear the complete uniform once but she found it impossible. And Tess threatened to hide all the books Hermione owned away if she tried any spells. Tess gave up her eating champion title to Ron when she lost to the competition to see who could eat the most amount of pudding in a minute. Ron reveled in victory while Tess went away to puke.

The Quartet soon had its members official but unknown. Harry was the leader, Hermione was the brains, Ron was the jokes and muscle and Tess was the street smart kid and the protector.

Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry, Tess and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it.

Soon Saturday came and Tess came in happily in joy that everyone was out of their uniform and into their regular clothes. Tess was wearing a red hoodie and jeans into the Great Hall where breakfast was being held.

"Take a bit of toast mate, go on." Ron said to Harry who was picking at his food.

"Ron's right Harry." Hermione said. "You're gonna need your strength today."

"I'm not hungry." Harry said.

"Oh but you are." Tess said, eating her toast. "See Harry, you're having what's called Competition Mindset. You focus on a big thing so much like a test or a game that your brain tells you that you don't need food."

"Is that an American concept of nervousness?" Hermione asked.

"Yes it is." Tess said.

"Good luck today Potter." They all looked up to see Professor Snape scowling down at them. "Then again now that you've proven yourself against a troll a little game of Quidditch should be easy work for you. Even if it is against Slytherin." Snape glared at Tess before limping away.

"That explains the blood." Harry mused.

"Blood?" Hermione asked.

"Last night." Harry told his friends who leaned in closer. "I'm guessing that Snape let the troll in as a diversion so he could try and get past that three headed dog. But he got himself bit, that's why he's limping."

"Ok." Tess said. "Nobody goes to that much trouble of protection unless there's something in this school that they don't want found. Question is, what is it?"

"The day I went to Gringotts." Harry began."Hagrid took something from one of the vaults. Said it was Hogwarts business, very secret."

"So you're saying…" Ron trailed off.

"That's what the dog is guarding." Harry finished. "That's what Snape wants."

The air was pierced by an owl's hoot. They looked up to see Hedwig, Harry's Snow Owl fly in and Harry caught the large brown parcel.

"Bit early for mail isn't it?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah." Tess admitted. "A little too early."

"But I never get mail." Harry said confused.

"Let's open it anyway." Ron said, joining the others in taking apart the wrapping.

"It's a broomstick." Harry admired once the wrapping was out.

"That's not just a broomstick Harry!" Ron exclaimed. "It's a Nimbus 2,000!"

"It's the latest fastest broom ever!" Tess exclaimed.

"But who?" Harry asked before seeing McGonagall smile at him.

"Well Harry?" Tess asked. "What the hell are you waiting for? Get dressed. You have a new broom to show off!"


	19. Asses in the Sky!

By eleven o'clock the whole school was to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. The teams were preparing to play in the locker rooms. Tess, among many students, thanked their lucky star that they brought their binoculars. The higher tower stands were for the teachers and commentary while the students, with the Gryffindors joined by Hagrid in the lower stands.

Ron, Tess, and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Tess stole from the laundry. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.

"Scared guys?" Tess asked the gang.

"No biggie." Seamus said.

"My first Quidditch match though." Dean said excited. "This ought to be one to remember."

"I feel you man." Tess agreed. "I felt the same way before I saw my first Quidditch match."

"What were they like?" Hermione asked.

"Well they were expensive to get in so…" Tess stopped to relive the moments. "Johnnie and I snuck in through the stadium to see the show. Seeing a Quidditch match is how I fell in love with flying."

"Hey guys." Ron said. "It's time."

Doors opened and zooming in the air were brooms, piloted by Quidditch players of red and green.

"Hello!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed through the speakers. He was commentating. "Welcome to Hogwarts's first Quidditch game of the season. Today's game, Slytherin versus Gryffindor!"

Tess and the rest of the Gryffindors cheered while the Slytherins cheered for themselves. THe Quidditch players aligned themselves in a circle.

"The players take their positions as Madam Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game!" Jordan said. Hooch was the referee.

"Now, I want a nice clean game, all of you," she said from the ground, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Hooch kicked the box and 3 balls were released in the air.

"The Bludgers are up." Jordan said. "Followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember the Snitch is worth 150 points. The Seeker who catches the snitch, ends the game." Hooch grabbed the large soccer sized ball and threw it in the air.

"The Quaffle is released." Jordan began. "And the game begins! And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too-"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve - back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying like an eagle up there - he's going to sc - no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and - OUCH - that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which - nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. Tess screamed most of all.

"This ought to be quite the turnout fer Quidditch." Hagrid said.

"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.

Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.

"You think this is hard?" Tess shouted. "Try living with AIDS! THAT'S HARD!"

When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.

"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch - all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.

Harry was faster than Higgs - he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead - he put on an extra spurt of speed -

WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below - Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.

Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.

"It's a soccer thing." Tess said.

"But this isn't soccer, guys." Ron reminded them.

Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side. "They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."

Lee Jordan however was finding it difficult not to take sides. "So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul..."

"Jordan, I'm warning you-"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.

It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal-posts - he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out - and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.

Lee was still commentating.

"Slytherin in possession - Flint with the Quaffle - passes Spinnet - passes Bell - hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose - only joking, Professor - Slytherins score - A no..."

The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have..."

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.

"Um Hermione?" Tess asked. "You come across anything like this in your pleasure reading?"

"All I can think of is that someone must be jinxing the broom." Hermione said.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape - look."

Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the teacher's stand near them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.

"He's doing something - jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?" Tess asked.

"Leave it to me." Hermione said.

Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Tess turned her binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good - every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.

"Come on, Hermione." Ron muttered desperately.

"Please hurry up." Tess said.

Hermione had climbed her way to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him. Reaching Snape in the stands, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.

It took a professor yelling, "Fire! You're on fire!" Snape jumped up, knocking down Quirrell.

It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.

"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.

"GO!" Tess screamed. "HARRY MOVE IT!"

Harry and the Slytherin Seeker butted brooms and made a dive until the Slytherin seeker backed out and Harry took this oppertunity to steady his broom and try broom surfing before diving off the broom. It was then the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to puke.

Hermione gasped and Tess and Ron looked down in horror. "Looks like he's gonna be sick." Hagrid noted.

Just then, Harry spat out the Golden Snitch, flapping it's wings off of his spit.

"He's got the Snitch!" Jordan shouted. "Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch!"

"Gryffindor wins!" Hooch exclaimed, sending everyone but Slytherin into a cheering frenzy.

Ron and Tess hugged with Dean, Seamus and Neville joining in. But they were met with the squeezing hug of Hagrid.

Tess ran to the stand where Jordan was. "Can I borrow this?" She asked.

"Alright everyone!" She boomed into the microphone. "Let's cheer for Gryffindor!" That got an ear splitting roar of cheering. "Harry Potter/Gryffindor! Harry Potter/Gryffindor! Harry Potter/Gryffindor!" The rest of the school repeated and chanted Tess' phrase. Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty.

It was a day of victory for the Hogwarts Lions.


	20. Captain Mysterio

"Nonsense." said Hagrid, who was accompanied by the quartet on a walk. "Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?"

Harry, Ron, Tess, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth. "Who knows? Why was he trying to get past that three headed dog on Halloween?"

"Who told you abou' Fluffy?" he asked.

"Fluffy?" Tess asked skeptically. "Of all the names to give a giant, slobbering, three headed dog and you chose Fluffy?"

"Yeah - he's mine - bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year - I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

"Yes?" said Ron eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it." Tess said.

"Codswallop." said Hagrid again. "Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher."

"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"Exactly." Harry agreed with Ron and Tess nodding in agreement.

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel-"

"Nicholas Flamel" Harry asked.

"I should not have said that." Hagrid said walking away.

"Nicholas Flamel." Tess mused. "Just who the hell is Nicholas Flamel?"

"I don't know." Hermione said.

"Hermione not knowing something." Ron said, voicing everyone's thoughts. "Means that we're gonna have to do a load's worth of research."


	21. I Return To The USA

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find 155 itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.

The Slytherin girls had apparently started playing, "Follow the Leader" and started mercilessly teasing Tess about her home and just how much they disliked her simple for being from another country. Some had even taken to mocking her American accent. But they would all get shot down with Tess' snappy insults and Snape still looked at her like she was a disease. But Tess didn't care. However one Pansy Parkinson met a death by a broken wrist when she crossed a line insulting Tess that her mother probably died looking at her. During the fight it had taken the entire Quidditch team to pull her back. Snape had tried to give her detention but Dumbledore let her off.

It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

Tess and Hermione didn't sign up. Hermione would be going back to her parents while Tess would be in New York.

"Promise me that you will take photos of New York in the winter?" Hermione asked her as they were in the Great Hall saying goodbye to the rest of the team.

"I promise you guys." Tess said. "Promise me you'll call?"

"Yes I have your number." Hermione said.

"Well we'll have to write." Harry said.

"You guys seriously have to show me how this telly-phone works." Ron said in wonder. "My dad would be excited."

"I'll show you sometime." Harry said to the ginger.

"Come here." Hermione said, bringing the group in a hug. "Have a Happy Christmas."

Tess's smile was instantly deflated. "Oh. Yeah, Merry Christmas."

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"Well." Tess said. "This used to be my favorite time of the year but the my mom died right before Christmas, so...kinda ruined the holidays."

Tess and Hermione said their own goodbyes when they the left the train. They had spent the entire trip talking about their own lives in their cities.

In the station, carrying her backpack with her stuff for the holidays, Tess looked around but couldn't find her family.

"Tess!" She heard her cousin's voice. "Over here!"

Tess turned around and ran into Johnnie's arms then started getting squeezed by Aunt Sara.

"Hey Sara." Tess said. "Great to see you. Now can I just breeeaaathe?"

"Oh sorry." Sara said brushing her hands.

The trio went through the Floo network back to their apartment in New York City of the United States of America where Sara had prepared a welcome home dinner for Tess. The family sat and had mild conversations and Sara laughed saying that she was just like Johnnie when he came home for Christmas and that he wouldn't shut up about his time at Black Gate.

Dinner ended with a tearful moment of silence for Morgan Crosswell and they went to bed.

"So Tess." Johnnie said, half asleep, noticing his cousin staring at the ceiling. "How does it feel to be back in the USA?"

"Well I missed you guys." Tess said. "There's that."


	22. Why One Christmas Literally Went Ka-Boom

Christmas in New York was a bit miserable but it was worth it in spending time with her family. The landlord shut down the power to conserve it for his own room in the penthouse. In fact, most of the landlords in the west side shut down the power, but some did it because of the snowstorm. This wasn't uncommon for the Crosswells. There was only one heater with a small generator but it could only heat one room, the living room. Sara had tried to give the heater to the children's room and they tried the same with her but they ended up agreeing on the living room.

Johnnie had gotten a warning from the Magical Congress about his use of magic when he saved Tess from Mercury the summer prior and was fined 350 knuts. It was illegal even in America to use magic underage so Tess and Johnnie, who was 15, were out of luck to get some heat running.

But it didn't stop the Crosswells from reconnecting even after being away for long but they were used to a feeling like this because Black Gate, like Hogwarts, was a private school.

That didn't matter to Tess. She shined her flashlight on her photo album of her mother and her. There were tons of moving photos of the adventures her and her mother had, some with Johnnie and Sara.

"I missed you." Johnnie said from behind me.

"Night." Tess said to him as he tucked underneath the covers, shivering slightly before falling asleep. Tess could only shake her head, Johnnie could sleep through anything, even an earthquake.

But when she finally succumbed to her sleep, Tess had the worst dream presenting the worst night of her life.

X~X

_5 years ago…_

_In a fair and quaint house on the Upper East Side, was a happy family, enjoying the start of the Christmas season. Sara was talking away with her sister-in-law, Johnnie was fast asleep upstairs, and Tess was running around, high on the mountain of sugar cookies she had consumed. Johnnie fell asleep after eating 5._

" _Mommy!" The 6 year old little girl exclaimed. "Soon Santa's coming! Can we see him when he comes here?"_

_Morgan Crosswell laughed at her hyperactive happy little girl, picking her up. "I don't know Quintessa. Santa is very, very sneaky. I don't know if we can catch him. Besides Christmas Eve isn't for another 4 days."_

" _It still would be awesome!" Tess exclaimed. "I don't know how he can squeeze all that junk in through that chimney!"_

" _Quintessa Crosswell!" Morgan scolded harshly. "We don't say things like that young lady!"_

" _Sorry mommy." Little Tess looked down._

" _Ah Tess." Sara said looking at the two. "Don't worry, she'll grow over it."_

" _I'm not sure." Morgan said laughing._

" _I wanna grow so I can be as tall as you Mommy!" Tess exclaimed, her big bright purple eyes twinkling._

" _And someday you will." Morgan said, sitting Tess down on the couch. "But for now, let's just enjoy the life we have." The phone rang suddenly. "I'm not sure I can enjoy those last few seconds though." Morgan got up and answered the phone and dropping it very quickly after talking with the person on the phone. "That's Robert Judah. He's found some big lead on a Dark Wizard case." Morgan was a Salem Squad, the wizard police in America, detective. "Says he wants me to come and take a look at it as SSHQ."_

" _Alright." Sara said, scooping up her niece. "I'll take care of Tess here. You go on."_

_Morgan turned to leave when Tess grabbed her leg. "You're coming back in time for Santa right? You won't leave me?"_

_Morgan leaned down and said to her daughter, "Of course. Remember what I say, 'The people we love are tied to us and always are linked with us.'" The witches hugged each other. "I'll see you again tonight, my beautiful girl." Casting one big toothy grin at her mother, returned with a lovely smile from Morgan, she left the house._

_Later that night, Sara had put Tess to bed. Tess was staring in the ceiling, counting the swirling floating glow in the dark stars that danced all around the room._

_Suddenly, out of the blue, a loud explosion was heard and the sky was filled with bright light. Tess scrambled out of bed and looked to the window to see a building exploding. But that wasn't any building. It was the Salem Squad HQ. But dread filled Tess' soul as she realized that the building that had just blown up, was the building that her mother had gone into. Tess immediately ran out ignoring her Aunt Sara calling out for her. But Tess was fast and the building was about 15 blocks away. Tess ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her, and arrived at the burning building. Standing in shock, paralyzed by fear, she started to cup her hands to call out for Morgan but another explosion reacted, sending a shockwave that flew Tess back, knocking her out when she hit a pole._

_When Tess woke up, she was in a tent and Johnnie was over her._

" _Tess what were you thinking?" The 11 year old wizard asked. "Why would you try to run to a burning building? Emphasis on burning?"_

" _Where's Aunt Sara?" Tess asked before feeling her blood turn to ice. "Where's Mom?"_

_Johnnie seemed to look at her in shock. "Uh Tess?" He said before Tess burst off the bed and ran to the building, or what was left of it. There were ambulances everywhere, helicopters were flying and No-Maj TV reporters were broadcasting the news. Tess ignored Johnnie's cries and didn't notice Aunt Sara talking with the Magical Congress' Head of Security._

" _Do you know Morgan Crosswell?" She heard a man ask. She turned to the direction of the voice and found an ambulance right next to a few people and a stretcher with a white sheet covering a body._

" _My son goes to school with her kid." The wizard told the man._

" _I'm sorry."_

_Tess' heart raced as she ran to the stretcher and lifted the sheet to find a woman with burns all over her arms and blood covering her face. But there was no mistaking that it was the body of Quintessa's mother._

" _M-m-mommy?" Tess asked, tears already starting to spill._

" _Is that the kid?" A woman asked from behind her._

" _Quintessa." Sara said comforting her._

" _Mom!" Tess exclaimed before sobbing uncontrollably into her cousin's shoulder._

X~X

Tess woke up gasping for air. To clear her mind, she slipped on her jacket, her snow boots, and climbed the fire escape to the roof where on there, she pulled out the photo of her mother that she always carried with her.

"What are you doing here?" Johnnie asked.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Tess said, sitting on the edge, her feet dangling in the open air.

Johnnie joined Tess. "Couldn't sleep?"

Tess sighed in contempt. "What would Mom say...if she knew about me going to Hogwarts?"

"I think… that she would have been very happy either way."

"So much has gone by so fast." Tess said. "It's kind of scary."

"Life works that way." Johnnie agred. "Still not a day goes by when I don't miss Aunt Morgan."

"Do you…miss Uncle Mike?"

Johnnie pondered for a second. "I don't know. How can you miss someone you barely know?"

"The feeling is mutual." Tess said. "I'm sure Uncle Mike would have been very proud of you."

"We're Crosswells Tess." Johnnie said, putting an arm around his cousin and both of them looking up at the moon, snow starting to fall. "We stick together."

"Merry Christmas Johnathan." Tess said.

"Merry Christmas Quintessa." Johnnie replied back.

Tess looked up in the beautiful Christmas night sky and remembered the promise she made when her mother's funeral was held: That no matter what, the people that she cared about came first in everything.


	23. Candy Solves All Problems

The Christmas Holidays ended in a snap and before anyone could register it, the Hogwarts school year resumed. Tess had found herself being hugged by her three best friends when she got back.

"I missed you guys!" Tess exclaimed. "Did you get my gifts?"

Over the holidays, Tess had managed to send presents for her friends through the International Owl Service. These types of owls were trained for long distance flights and could go and come back in one flight. Harry had gotten a packet of Infi-Flavor gum and a book on the World Cup. Ron had gotten a box of fudge, churros (since he stole Tess' stash of them), and a flashlight that Tess smuggled from the black market with an enchanted battery that never ran out. It also shone different colors and with each color could reveal a different story. White light could shine about 40 yards ahead, red could show infrared (heat light) vision, purple light showed sound trails, yellow showed fingerprints, and green could show hidden doors. Hermione had gotten quills of a bald eagle that had it's own ink and never ran out, and some books on American Wizarding History.

Tess had also gotten some gifts. From Ron's mother who apparently knew about her, she got a purple sweater that she made for her kids every year with a Q on it and a box of homemade fudge. And from Hermione she had gotten a book on the proper use of the English language which kind of annoyed Tess but she had also had gotten from Hermione a camera that make print out photos instantly and somehow Hermione had gotten the photos to move when they came out.

The Quidditch season went on and the Gryffindors were winning by landslides. They were so far up in the race for the House Cup that it wasn't even funny. Tess had gotten detention for what happened prior to Christmas break of course. The team gave up on looking for Nicolas Flamel when they couldn't find him. Months passed too fast for anyone to blink.

But that didn't matter on one spring afternoon when Easter break ended and they were preparing for the end of the year exams because their work on the Flamel case was about to come to fruition.

"Hi Hedwig." Harry greeted when his Snow Owl landed on the table.

Hermione took one look at Ron and said, "Look at you, playing with your cards, pathetic."

"Girl's gotta point." Tess agreed looking up from her notes. "Ron, we've got final exams coming up and even **I'm** studying."

"Oh I'm ready." Ron said confidently. "Ask me any question."

"Alright." Hermione said, her tone carrying a teacher's flow. "WHat are the three most crucial ingredients in a forgetfulness potion?"

"I forgot." Ron muttered, causing Tess and Harry to snicker.

"And what are you gonna do if this comes up in your test?" Tess asked the ginger.

"Copy off you or her?" Ron quipped.

"No you won't." Hermione said firmly. "Besides, according to Professor McGonagall we're to be given special quills, bewitched with an anti cheating spell."

"That's insulting!" Tess exclaimed. "It's as if they don't trust us!"

"Tess." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "They don't trust us, because they don't trust you."

"But how can they?" Tess whined. "We're children-the most innocent beings in the world!"

"Oh and you're innocent considering your detention record?" Harry quipped with an eyebrow raised over his emerald eyes.

Tess opened her mouth to say something but closed it when she realized Harry had a point. "Ok you have a point."

The entire hall was then filled with laughter as Neville, who aparently had his legs bound together, was hopping like a rabbit to the Quartet.

"Leg Locker curse?" Ron asked.

"Malfoy." Harry voiced everyone's thoughts.

"I take my comment on innocent children back." Tess mumbled.

"You have really got to start standing up to people Neville." Ron said.

"How?" Neville asked. "I can barely stand at all."

"He didn't mean literally Neville." Tess said.

"I'll do the coutner curse." Seamus piped up, whipping out his wand.

"No really, that's all I need." Neville said sarcastically. "You to set my bloody kneecaps on fire."

Seamus was not amused. "I don't appreciate the insinuation Longbottom. Besides, if anybody cares to notice, my eyebrows have completely grown back!" He walked away, showing a patch of hair on the back of his hair that was gone. Hermione stuffed in a giggle.

"I found him!" Harry exclaimed.

"You found Flamel?" Tess guessed.

Ron took the Chocolate Frogs card and read, "Dumbledore is famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for his discovery of the 12 uses of dragon blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel!"

The groups faces brightened at this information. "I knew the name sounded familiar!" Harry said. "I read it on the train that day."

"We are back on the case!" Tess said in joy.

"Follow me!" Hermione exclaimed. The team followed the brains of the outfit to the library, where Ron, Harry and Tess got books.

"I had you guys looking in the wrong section!" Hermione exclaimed. "How could I be so stupid?" She slammed a rather heavy book on the table. "I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"This." Tess gestured to the book. "Is your definition of light?"

Hermione glared at her American friend and scanned the page she was on before gasping. "Of course! Here it is! Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"

"The what?" Harry and Ron chorused while Tess asked, "The what's of a who now?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at their antics. "Honestly, don't you three read?"

"No." Tess immediately answered, causing Hermione and Harry to roll their eyes.

"The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers." Hermione read from the text. "The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal."

"Immortal?" Ron asked in wonder.

"It means you can't die." Tess said.

"I know what it means!" Ron said before being shushed by Harry.

"The only stone currently in existence." Hermione continued. "Belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his 665th birthday. That's what's Fluffy guarding on the third floor. That's what's under the trapdoor, the Philosopher's Stone!"

"I can see why Snape would want that." Ron said. "All that money and eternal life."

"Even so." Tess said. "There's only one person we know who has it in the works with the stone."

"Hagrid." Harry agreed.


	24. Major Oh Crap

That Friday night, the Quartet ran silently to Hagrid's hut and knocked loudly. The door opened revealing the half giant in an apron.

"Hagrid." Ron said quickly.

"Well hello." Hagrid greeted. "Sorry don't wish to be rude but I'm in no state to entertain today."

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone." The foursome chorused.

The door creaked open and Hagrid said, "Oh."

When they were let in, they hung up their clothes and sat down. "We think Snape's after it." Harry said.

"Snape?" Hagrid said, tendering something in the fire. "Yer not still on abou him are ya?"

"Hagrid." Tess said. "Snape is our prime suspect. And our only one. The point is that we know that Snape's after it and we don't know why."

"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the stone." Hagrid defended. "He's not abou to steal it."

"What?" Harry asked.

"You heard." Hagrid said. "Now come on, I'm a bit preoccupied today."

"Wait a minute." Harry said. "One of the teachers?"

"Well duh Harry." Tess said. "If something is hidden at Gringotts, then the entire staff is in the works defending it. Same in Hogwarts."

"That's right." Hagrid agreed. "Waste of bloody time if you ask me. Ain't nobody gonna get past Fluffy. Ain't a soul knows how, except for me an' Dumbledore. I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that."

Suddenly, the air was filled with something rattling the cage. Hagrid picked it up and brought this black and yellow egg.

"Uh Hagrid?" Harry asked. "What exactly is that?"

"That?" Hagrid asked. "It's uh, it's uh."

"I know what that is!" Tess exclaimed. "But Hagrid, how did you get one? The only way you could have won it is via gambling."

"Actually I did." Hagrid said. "Off a stranger I met down the pub. Seemed glad to be rid of it as a matter of fact." The egg continued to shake and rattle as Tess warned the others to take a step back. In the nick of time the egg burst open and out popped a small dragon. It wasn't exactly pretty; It looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

"Is that..a dragon?" Hermione asked.

"Oh that is not just a dragon." Ron said in amazement. "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback. My brother Charlie works with these in Romania."

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid said. "Oh bless him, he knows his mummy! Hello Norbert."

"Norbert?" Tess asked skeptically. "For reals?"

"Well he's got to have a name don't he?" Hagrid asked. "Don't you Norbert?" Hagrid continued to pet the dragon like it was a scaly kitten until it sneezed fire on him. Thankfully, Hagrid had his enormous beard to protect him. "Well he'll have to be trained up a bit of course. Wait, who's that?"

The fivesome took a turn and saw running back a boy whose head could not be mistaken. "Malfoy." Harry confirmed.

"Oh dear." Hagrid said dreadfully.

"Took the words right out of my mouth man." Tess said worried.

The quartet hurried back in the castle. "Hagrid always wanted a dragon." Harry said silently. "He told me so the first time I met him."

"It's crazy." Ron agreed. "And worse Malfoy knows."

"I don't understand." Hermione said. "Is that bad?"

"Oh crap." Tess muttered.

They didn't even have to look in Tess' direction to know that they were in very deep trouble.

"Good evening." Professor McGonagall said with a smirking Malfoy behind her.

They weren't just in trouble. They were dead where they were standing.


	25. Repercussions

Things couldn't have been worse.

"Nothing." McGonagall said in her office, the quartet lined up in front of her scared out of their wits. Malfoy was smirking in a desk nearby. "I repeat, nothing, gives the student the right to walk about the school at night. "I'm disgusted. Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Miss Crosswell, considering all the detentions you have had I thought some sense would be knocked into that American head of yours. No matter what's done is done. As punishment for your actions, fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."

"Fifty?" Harry gasped - they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match.

"Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose. Things were getting worse. They were dead not from where they were standing, but because of the mere fact that they were breathing. "And to ensure it does not happen again, all five of you will receive detention."

That perked up Malfoy's ears. "Excuse me Professor, perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the four of us."

"No you heard me correctly Mr. Malfoy." said McGonagall. "Honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours. You will join your classmates in detention."

Malfoy's face was filled with horror while Harry smiled and Tess winked at him. At least one good thing came out of their social lives being flushed down the drain. In 7 hours, the entire House of Godric Gryffindor would find out that they were last in the lead for the House Cup. And it was all because of 4 first years.


	26. Social Life Meet Social Death

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.

From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"

Only Ron stood by him.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."

"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Harry miserably.

"Well - no," Ron admitted.

It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself and told his team that they were off what Tess had dubbed, The Stone Case not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.

"Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"

But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker."

Hermione and Ron suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.

Tess however was always looked at as odd but now her reputation was almost as bad as Harry's. People had taken Slytherin's example and bullied her about her family and her American heritage. One person from Ravenclaw even suggested that she would be expelled immediately. Tess and Malfoy shared glances but they didn't speak. One afternoon Tess got a howler from her Aunt Sara. Tess didn't hesitate to open the red letter because she knew that she deserved it.

"QUINTESSA CHARLOTTE CROSSWELL!" The thundering voice of her aunt Sara boomed, shaking dust off the hallway. "YOU ARE THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE, OUTRAGEOUS, INSUBORDINATE CHILD I HAVE EVER RAISED! OFF ALL THE STUNTS YOU HAVE PULLED, THIS IS THE WORST! YOU AGREE TO GO ABROAD AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS?! LAST NIGHT I RECEIVED FROM YOUR OWN OWL THAT GRYFFINDOR HOUSE, YOUR HOUSE, IS NOW LAST WITH 200 POINTS TAKEN IN ONE NIGHT! AND GUESS WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?YOURS QUINTESSA! I SWEAR TO YOUR DEAD MOTHER'S GRAVE, ONE MORE SLIP UP, AND YOU ARE COMING STRAIGHT BACK TO NEW YORK! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!" The Howler then burnt itself as Tess just looked pale white.

Tess was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying she had to do kept her mind off his misery. She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions...

Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Tess' new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern her was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on her own one afternoon, she heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As she drew closer, she heard Quirrell's voice.

"No - no - not again, please -"

It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Tess moved closer.

"All right - all right -" he heard Quirrell sob.

Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Tess didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. She waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Tess was halfway toward it before she remembered what she'd promised Harry about not when she walked down a hallway, she heard someone being roughed up. Leaning against a wall, she pressed her ear next to the edge of a door next to her and heard Quirrell wimpering.

"S-Severus, I-I."

"You don't want me as your enemy Quirrell." The threatening voice of Professor Snape sounded.

"I d-d-don't k-know what you mean." Quirrell said scared.

"You know perfectly what I mean."

Tess ran out of there back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron and Harry on Astronomy. Tess told them what she'd heard.

"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell

-"

"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them.

"I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog." Tess noted. "So what do we do, Harry?" The light of adventure was kindling again in Tess and Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could. "Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But there's one problem." said Tess. "We have no proof."

"No proof?" Ron asked incredulously. "We are the only students who know about the Stone."

"But other than that." Tess noted. "We have no proof. Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor - who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't. "If we just do a bit of poking around -"

"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."

He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons. But Tess didn't agree. Her heart was still set on solving the case.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Tess at the breakfast table. They were all the same: Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall. Professor McGonagall.

Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. But Tess didn't. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry and Tess, she felt they deserved what they'd got.

At eleven o'clock that night, they went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there - and so was Malfoy. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do especially if you got a little job to do inside the Dark Forest."

They marched off across the dark grounds. Tess wondered if Filch was kidding about what their punishment was going to be. The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, they could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

Tess' heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. "A sorry lot this Hagrid." He noticed Hagrid looking downbeat. "Oh dear God you're not still on about that bloody dragon are ya?"

Hagrid sniffed. "Norbert's gone. Dumbledore sent him off into Romania, to live in a colony."

"Well that's good isn't it?" Hermione asked. "He'll be with his own kind."

"Yeah but what if he don't like Romania?" Hagrid asked, earning an eye roll from Filch. "What if the other dragons are mean to him? He's only a baby after all."

"Oh for God's sake pull yourself together." Filch said. "You're going into the forest. Got to have your wits about ya."

At this, Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks. "The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "I thought that was a joke. We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed and there are - werewolves, I heard."

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you? Nighty night. I'll be back at dawn for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment." He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.

"Look there," said Hagrid, leaning down a silvery puddle. "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff?"

"That's unicorn blood." Tess said. "I saw a dealer bid with a vial of it a few years ago in the streets."

"There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat." Hagrid continued. "This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice. "There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least. Ron and Hermione, come with me."

"Ok." Ron said weakly.

"And Harry." Hagrid said. "You'll go with Tess and Malfoy."

"Ok. Then I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth. "All right, but I warn yeh, he's a bloody coward," said Hagrid. "Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now - that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."

The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue.

"Wait till my father hears about this." Draco said, holding the lamp. "This is servant stuff!"

"Oh for Christ's sake!" Tess exclaimed. "Man up already and stop whining!"

"If I didn't know any better Draco." Harry quipped. "I'd say you were scared."

"I'm not scared Potter." Draco said when they heard a ghostly moan. "Did you hear that?"

"Come on Fang." Tess said.

"Scared!" Draco huffed. "And furthermore Yankee, I don't need to man up. I already have."

"Well Draco." Tess said. "If you had manned up already, you would understand that you have more grease in your hair than Snape and that's saying something considering he's the head of your own House." As she moved ahead of Draco, Harry snickered and high fived her. Draco behind them couldn't help but break a smile and chuckling softly. Leave it to a girl like her to make the creepy night less terrifying.

But when they got to a certain point, Harry stopped them.

"Look -" he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy.

Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.

It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.

Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered... Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted, grabbing Tess' arm - so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry - unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry - he couldn't move for fear.

Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire. Half blinded, he staggered backward. He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure.

The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him, "Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet. "Yes - thank you."

"You must leave. The forest is not safe at this time - especially for you."

"What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?" The centaur looked at the unicorn and then at Harry.

"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used -for?"

"No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

"But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, deaths better, isn't it?"

"It is," The centaur agreed. "Unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Philosopher's Stone! Of course - the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who -"

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."

"Do you mean," Harry croaked, "that thing that was drinking the unicorn's blood was Vol-"

"Harry! Harry, are you all right?" Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.

"Hello Firenze." Hagrid greeted.

"I'm fine," said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there." "This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now. Good luck." He walked away, leaving the group at the tragic sight of the mangled unicorn.

"Say it Harry." Tess nudged him.

"Alright." Harry said. "We're back on the Stone case."


	27. We Discuss Harry's Possible Death

The Quartet made their way back to the common room where they gathered.

"You mean You-Know-Who's out there right now in the forest?" Hermione asked.

"But he's weak." Harry said. "He's living off the unicorns."

"Don't you see?" Tess asked. "We had it wrong. Snape doesn't want the stone for himself. He wants it for Voldemort."

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.

Harry wasn't listening. "With the Elixir of Life, Voldemort will be strong again."

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"Oh shut up Ron." Tess said."Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort." That seemed to get Ron's attention as he nearly went in shock. "So all we've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone,"

"Then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off." Harry finished gloomily.

Ron gulped. "And to think, I've been worried about my Potions final."

Tess hit him on the arm. "Really? Our best friend's life is on the line, a very powerful stone is on a Death Eater's list and all you can think of is your grades?"

"Hang on a minute." Hermione piped up. "Who is the one wizard the Dark Lord has always feared? Dumbledore. As long as Dumbledore's around, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore's around, you cannot be touched." The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over. When Tess pulled back her sheets, she found a note underneath them written in loopy handwriting: If you think you have cleared this mystery, you are far from right. Within each new challenge, protect your allies with all your might.


	28. More Clues Come A Callin'

In years to come, Tess would never quite remember how she had managed to get through his exams when she quarter expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers.

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox - points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Harry on the other hand, did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.

Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Tess, Ron, and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented selfstirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

Hermione and Tess always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. "No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead. "I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.

"Really?" asked Tess sarcastically. "Oh yeah, I'm totes sure that the school nurse will know about a magical scar."

Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.

"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."

Tess was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. She watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy... never... but -

Tess suddenly jumped to her feet.

"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Tess. She had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.

"In New York." Tess began, slowing down to walking. "There's something called Blind Dealing. It's when the client doesn't know who the dealer is, so it makes it harder to gain trust, and it's when the client doesn't know what they're doing. If the dealer wants to strike something with the client, the dealer has to know who the client is; Who they are, where they live, and importantly, what they want. The dealer usually strikes a deal with the client with something they want, and it's usually money or something valuable like a diamond or something. The dealer gives the client that something they want in exchange for something the dealer wants, and it's usually information."

"Ok." Harry said, unsure. "Thanks for the Home Economics lesson but I don't see how that is relevant to Hagrid."

"Fine Harry." Tess said. "Let me spell this out. Don't you think it's a bit coincidental that stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket right when what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Why didn't I see it before? It's simple Street Cred 101."

"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Tess, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo." he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please." said Ron, but Tess cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off." He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows. "It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head - that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Tess sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did he ask for anything that you knew about?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."

"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy when you mentioned him?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts?" Hagrid answered. "So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -" Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. "I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?" Harry, Tess, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to the Transfiguration Classroom where Professor McGonagall was grading papers. "We have to see Professor Dumbledore." said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry, Tess, and Ron thought. "Immediately."

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

Harry swallowed - now what? "It's sort of secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" said Tess frantically. "Now? So when will he get back?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Crosswell, he has many demands on his time - "But this is important. This is about the Philosopher's Stone."

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. She looked up pale stricken. "How do you know -?" she spluttered.

"Professor, I think - I know - that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." She eyed them with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. I don't know how you four found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor -"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." But they didn't. Instead they went outside of the classroom, where some students were walking by.

"Tess?" Ron asked. "In this Blind Dealing, how does the dealer know what they client wants?"

"Well." Tess said. "The dealer obviously must be anonymous, so the dealer has to be someone the client is around almost every day."

"It's Snape." Harry said. "The dealer Hagrid met was no stranger to us. Snape is the dealer and Hagrid was the client which means, he know how to get past Fluffy."

"But with Dumbledore gone…."

"Good afternoon," a voice said smoothly. Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round. Snape was standing there.

"Oh cra-" Ron put his hand over her mouth to shut her up. They stared at him.

"Now what would 3 young Gryffindors such as yourselves be be doing inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were -" Hermione began, without any idea what she was going to say.

"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

He strode off in the direction of the staffroom. Tess wanted to say, "I'm sure they will say the same thing about you." But she knew that if she did, Snape would know that they were on his trail and they couldn't risk that.

Out on the stone steps, Ron turned to the others. "It's obvious Snape is planning to strike tonight."

"Now what do we do?" Hermione asked.

"The only thing we can do." Tess said. "Is get that Stone before Snape does. But how?"

"Because we're going through the trapdoor." Harry said, looking at his friends dead in the eye. "Tonight."


	29. Of Musical and Macabre Scenarios

After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Tess had been preparing her fighting in case things got hairy. She had even changed into a new outfit. A black tshirt with a v-line that had a purple tanktop underneath, a belt with a copy of Ron's special flashlight, several pocket and army knives and a portable katana that with a button, grew to full size. She had gotten it as a secret birthday present from her sensei back in America. She also had black jeans on with her black Converse sneakers. On her arms, were black leather arm bracers that were about 2 inches from her wrists with different compartments. On the right arm bracer, was her wand stowed safely and on the other with a photo of her mother for good luck. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He putted out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy - he didn't feel much like singing.

He ran back down to the common room and met the rest of the gang.

"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own -"

"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room.

Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back. Neville stared at their guilty faces.

"You're going out again," he said.

"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

Tess looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.

"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Ron, "this is important." But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!"

"Neville, "Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot -"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

The others turned to Tess. "I'm not gonna fight you Neville."

Harry turned to Hermione.

"Do something," he said desperately.

Hermione stepped forward. "Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville. Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak. Tess was still feeling bad for leaving Neville like that but leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like a ghost swooping down on them. Tess did miss this, the feeling of adrenaline and terror whenever she tried to steal something. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.

"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear, but Harry shook his head.

"As much as we all want to." Tess said to Ron. "It would compromise the mission."

As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything. They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was still locked.

"OW!" Hermione hissed. "You stood on my foot!"

"Sorry." Ron whispered.

"Alright." Tess whispered. "Mione, do your thing."

Hermione whipped out her wand and whispered, "Alohamora." The door opened.

Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two. "If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."

"Don't be stupid," said Ron.

"We're coming," said Hermione.

"If you think you're going alone, you're sadly mistaken." Tess agreed, cracking her knuckles. Harry pushed the door open. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.

"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.

"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."

"It will wake up the moment you stop playing," said Tess.

"Well, who can sing?" Hermione asked.

When the rest shook their heads, everyone turned to Tess who in turn said, "Oh great."

"Tess." Ron said. "From what I hear, New York City is the home of Broadway. If anyone is singing that thing to sleep, it's you."

"I will kill you for this." Tess mumbled before picking a tune and she picked a Barbara Streisand song. " _Funny...did you hear that? Funny...Yeah the guy said honey, "You're a funny girl._ "

Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep. The trio's jaws dropped but Tess snapped her fingers.

As she sang, the rest took the hint and Ron shone his special flashlight on the floor and found the trapdoor. But all of them were a little distracted by Tess' beautiful singing. They had never seen her like this, usually she was a punk kid, but this time, she was elegant, graceful and theatrical. Her voice was the voice of an angel but they still couldn't believe that Tess could sing.

"Keep singing." Ron warned Tess as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the floor. Ron shone his special flashlight on the secret door setting and green light showed a door under the paw. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.

"I think we'll be able to pull the door open." said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"

"No, I don't!"

"All right." Harry gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. Ron bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.

"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." Tess, who was in the middle of her song, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at herself.

"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."

Tess was almost done with her song. Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom. He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"

"Right," said Ron. "See you in a minute, I hope...

And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and - FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.

"It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"

Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry. "What's this stuff?" were his first words.

"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall." Harry said.

"I don't think it's just here to break the fall." Hermione analyzed. "Come on, Tess!"

The distant angelic singing stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Tess had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.

"We gotta be at least 10 feet under the school." She said. "Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.

"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"

She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall, and Tess did the same thing. They had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around their ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.

Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them. Tess had tossed pocket knives to the boys and Hermione and took out another one and they all tried to cut it, but the vines grabbed their hands and bound them

"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.

"No." Hermione said. "You have to relax. If you don't, it will only kill you faster."

"Kill us faster?" Ron asked. "Oh yeah now I can relax!"

Hermione closed her eyes and she sank into the vines and was gone.

"HERMIONE!" The three bellowed.

"Now what are we gonna do?" Ron asked.

"Just relax!" Hermione called.

"Hermione where the hell are you?" Tess asked.

"Do what I say." Hermione said. "Trust me."

Tess and Harry closed their eyes and relaxed, sinking into a room underneath the plant.

"You ok?" Hermione asked the two, helping them get up.

"We're fine." said Harry.

They all heard Ron's screams.

"He's not relaxing is he?" Hermione asked.

"Apparently not." Tess said. "Hermione think of something."

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? - it's deadly fun...but will sulk in the sun that's it! Devil's snare hates sunlight!" She got out her wand and muttered the right words, causing a whole array of sunshine to burst through the vines and Ron fell through.

"Whoo!" Ron said."Lucky we didn't panic."

"Lucky Hermione pays attention in Herbology." Harry quipped

"Alright guys." Tess said. "That's two of the trials."

"Trails?" Hermione asked.

"The teachers here are protecting the Stone right?" Tess asked. "So it would fit that each obstacle or trial is a specific one based on each teacher's field. So Ron, where's the trail lead to?"

"This way," said Ron said, pointing his special flashlight, or a ReveaLight down a stone passageway, which was one of the three passageways. All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon - Norbert had been bad enough...

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.

Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. "Do you think it's a ghost?"

"I don't know... sounds like wings to me." Harry said.

"There's light ahead - I can see something moving." noted Hermione.

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"Curious." said Ron. "I've never seen birds like these."

"That's because they're not birds." Tess said. "They're keys. And I'll bet one of them fits that door."

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.

"Probably," said Tess. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there's no other choice... I'll run." She took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. She expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at her any second, but nothing happened. She reached the door untouched. She pulled the handle, but it was locked. The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm. Tess pulled out her enchanted sword and pressed the button, revealing a beautiful katana.

"You brought a sword to school?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"You're gonna ask this now?" Tess quipped. She put the point in the lock and twisted it but it wouldn't budge. Tess pressed the button and it shrank back and she leaned against the wall. "So much for the old Harlem sword trick."

"Now what?" said Ron. "There must be a thousand keys up there."

"We're looking for a big old fashioned one." Tess said. "Probably rusty like the handle."

"There!" Harry pointed up. "I see it! It's the one with the broken wing!"

"Is that a broom?" They turned around to see a single broom floating in the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys.

Harry went over and waved his hand over it and nothing happened. "Strange."

"What's the hold up Harry?" Tess asked.

Harry looked up and said, "It's too simple."

"Go on Harry!" Ron exclaimed. "If Snape can catch it on that old broomstick you can. You're the youngest Seeker of the century."

But when Harry grabbed it, all the keys came down each one attacking him. He kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he grabbed it and yelled to the others,

"Catch the key!"

He threw it and Ron grabbed it. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice and Harry landed outside and Ron shut the door.

When they walked down the hall, they came across another door. "Ready?" Harry asked the other three, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open. The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly - the towering white chessmen had no faces.

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."

Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

"How?" said Hermione nervously.

"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."

He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?"

The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.

"This needs thinking about he said. I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..."

Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess -"

"We're not offended," said Tess quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you're next to him instead of that castle. Tess, you take a knight, since you have the weapon."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron. The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words 2 knights, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took.

"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes... look..." A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Including Tess who knocked down pieces with her katana. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?

Tess was a worthy knight, using her katana to sweep back the other players with no mercy. But on the way, she got hit by debris that caused her to have bruised ribs and blood on her face.

Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry, Tess, and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.

"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think let me think..." The white queen turned her blank face toward him. "Yes..." said Ron softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Harry, Tess, and Hermione shouted.

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me - that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

"But -"

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Ron -"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"

"Ron let me do it!" Tess exclaimed. "I'm a knight too! I already lost someone I cared about! I am not letting it happen again!"

"Tess." Ron said. "You once said that someone has to take the blow. This time it's gonna be me."

There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go - now, don't hang around once you've won."

He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor - Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

"RON!" Tess screamed seeing Harry move. "No don't move! We're still playing!"

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left and said, "Checkmate."

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear.

"Go ahead." Tess told the two. "I'll get Ron to the hospital wing somehow."

"Tess." Harry said. "Thank you, for everything."

"No." Tess said. "Thank you for being the most awesome friends I could ever have had. hermione hugged her causing her to wince in pain. With one last desperate look back at Ron and Tess, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.

Tess smiled sadly and turned around, ignoring the pain she was feeling and picked Ron up.

"Jesus you're heavy." Tess muttered looking around. "Now, how do I get out of here? Can't go forward, can't go back." She shone her ReveaLight everywhere until she found a door with a stairway. "Looks like I'm going up."

Tess walked over to the wall with the hidden passage and pressed her hand up looking for a hidden lever. She pushed in a brick and the wall slid aside and inside the stairway passage, on the wall were small torches that lite up as soon as the door opened.

"Oooookay?" Tess whispered and then looked back at the open door. "Please don't die." She whispered and ran up.

She stopped for a minute to catch her breath because of the pain she was feeling. "Hang in there Ron." She said to the unconscious boy. "We're almost there." She continued running until she was out into the hallway near the Hospital Wing. When she turned around to see the passageway, it was gone as if it was never there. But that didn't matter to Tess, Ron was at stake.

She knocked the door and Madam Pomfrey opened the door. Immediately, noticing the battered children, the nurse rushed them in. When Ron was lying in bed, McGonagall rushed in.

"Oh my goodness!" She said. "Quintessa, explain yourself now!"

Tess sighed. There was no point in lying anymore. "We went to stop Snape from getting the Philosopher's Stone."

McGonagall looked extremely angry. "First Hagrid, then you come to me knowing about it, and now you actually went through the defenses! And furthermore, you accuse a teacher!"

"Minerva." They all heard an ancient voice, and they looked up to see Headmaster Dumbledore who was accompanied by Professor Snape

"Professor Dumbledore." Tess said. "Thank God you're back."

"I arrived back because I felt something funny at Hogwarts tonight." He said. "And now that you are here, I want to get your side of the story. And I'm talking about starting at the beginning."

Tess told them the whole story of how they caught on Snape's trail and how they solved the case.

"Very well." Snape said getting out of his robes, a vial of clear liquid. "Since you children cannot listen I will do this the Potions way. This is Veritaserum."

"Truth serum." Tess instnatly translated.

"That is correct." Snape said. "And I will drink one drop which is enough for me to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." He did so and his eyes looked glassy.

"Ok." Tess said. "Why did you go to the third floor corridor and get bit by Fluffy?"

"I was guarding the Stone and when the harp stopped playing, I got bit and barely escaped." Snape said, monotone.

"Why did you try to kill Harry that day on the Quidditch match?" Tess asked.

"I was actually trying to save him by muttering a countercurse." Snape responded.

"Did you let the troll in?" Tess asked.

"No."

"Have you been drinking the blood of unicorns?" asked Tess.

"No."

"Did you intend to give the Stone to Voldemort once you stole it?" Tess asked.

"No."

"Did you plan to steal the Stone at all?" Tess asked.

"No."

Tess looked shocked. "Something still isn't right here. If you're not after the Stone, then who is?"


	30. Harry Verses Mr. Two Faced

It was Quirrell.

"You!" gasped Harry.

Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all. "Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."

"But I thought - Snape -" "Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp.

"Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't. "But Snape tried to kill me!"

"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. If Snape's cloak hadn't caught fire and broken my eye contact, I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."

"Snape was trying to save me?"

"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really... he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular... and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight." Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry. "You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."

"You let the troll in?"

"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls - you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off - and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.

"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this... but he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back..." All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror.

"I saw you and Snape in the forest -" he blurted out. "Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me - as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side..." Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it. "I see the Stone... I'm presenting it to my master... but where is it?" Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror.

"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."

"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He hates that American wretch too. He was at Hogwarts with your father and her parents, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing - I thought Snape was threatening you..."

For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.

"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions - he is a great wizard and I am weak -"

"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.

"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it... Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me... decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me..." Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley -how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron. Quirrell cursed under his breath. "I don't understand... is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?" Harry's mind was racing. What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it - which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to? He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. Quirrell ignored him.

He was still talking to himself. "What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

And to Harry's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself

"Use the boy... Use the boy..." Quirrell rounded on Harry.

"Yes - Potter - come here." He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet. "Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see." Harry walked toward him. I must lie, he thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all. Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again. He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket - and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket.

Somehow - incredibly - he'd gotten the Stone.

"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"

Harry screwed up his courage. "I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I - I've won the house cup for Gryffindor."

Quirrell cursed again. "Get out of the way," he said.

As Harry moved aside, he felt the Sorcerer's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it? But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.

"He lies... He lies..." "Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"

The high voice spoke again. "Let me speak to him... face-to-face..."

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough... for this..." The voice ended in a hiss, like a snake. Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it.

Then he turned slowly on the spot. Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.

"Harry Potter..." it whispered. Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move. "See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor ... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own... Now... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward.

"Stop him!" snarled the face. Quirrel snapped his fingers and fire sprung blocking out any entrance. "Don't be a fool. Better save your own life and join me... or you'll meet the same end as your parents... They died begging me for mercy..."

"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.

Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.

"How touching..." it hissed. "I always value bravery... Yes, boy, your parents were brave... I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight... but your mother needn't have died... she was trying to protect you... Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."

"NEVER!" Harry sprang toward the flaming door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist.

At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. The pain in his head lessened - he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers - they were blistering before his eyes.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet' landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck - Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.

"Master, I cannot hold him - my hands - my hands!" And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms - Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.

"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort. Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face - "AAAARGH!" Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain - his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse. Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off - the pain in Harry's head was building - he couldn't see - he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry! Harry!" He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down ... down... down...


	31. Dumbledore becomes Obi-Wan Kenobi

Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy.

He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange. He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.

"Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore.

Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick -"

"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone."

"Then who does? Sir, I -"

"HARRY!" Running into Harry's body, nearly crushing him was a Gryffindor first year with bobcut hair that was blond. Emerald green eyes met amethyst purple. "You scared the living hell out of me!"

"Hey Tess." Harry said laughing. "Tess, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have us thrown out."

Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.

"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."

"You know Headmaster." Tess said. "For a school that is supposed to be the safest place on Earth, you guys suck at keeping secrets." This earned a chuckle from Dumbledore.

"How long have I been in here?"

"Three days tops."

Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried. But Quintessa, sit, the Stone I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."

"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?" Harry asked.

"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you."

"It was you who saved Harry."

"I feared I might be too late."

"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer -"

"Not the Stone, boy, you - the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend - Nicolas Flamel -"

"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."

"But without the magic Stone thingy, this means he and his wife will die, won't they?" asked Tess

"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die." Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face.

"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

Harry lay there, and Tess sat there lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.

"Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking... sir - even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know- Who -"

"Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"

"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time - and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."

Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me... things I want to know the truth about..."

"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

"Well... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?" Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.

"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know."

And Harry knew it would be no good to argue. "But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."

Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet. When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the invisibility cloak - do you know who sent it to me?"

"I wanted to get to that." Tess said pulling out the note she had gotten earlier. "If you think you have cleared this mystery, you are far from right. Within each new challenge, protect your allies with all your might. Professor, I noticed another note taped to Harry's invisibility cloak at Christmas when I came back in the same handwriting. And since there's only one person who's been keeping tabs on me and Harry and mostly Harry, these notes came from you."

"Ah yes." Dumbledore said. "Quintessa, you remind me so much of your parents. I sent you that note because I have been observing you ever since you first came to Hogwarts the same way I watched your mother when she transferred. The way you interact with your friends is just like your mother, but she was more-control of her tongue. I sent you that note because I wanted to motivate you into understanding just what you mean to your friends and the school itself. See you are actually the first Gryffindor student to display House Unity with the Slytherins and that makes you remarkable student. Harry - your father happened to leave the cloak in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things... your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."

"And there's something else..."

"Fire away." "Quirrell said Snape -"

"Professor Snape, Harry." "Yes, him - Quirrell said he hates me and Tess because he hated my father and her mother. Is that true?"

"Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."

"What? He pulled a prank on him?"

"He saved his life."

"What?"

"Yes..." said Dumbledore dreamily.

"Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt... I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace..."

Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped.

"And sir, there's one more thing..." Tess trailed off.

"Just the one?"

"How did he get the Stone out of the mirror?"

"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you two and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes... Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them - but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"

He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth.

Then he choked and said, "Alas! Earwax!"

Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict and shooed Tess and Dumbledore away.

"Just five minutes," Harry pleaded.

"Absolutely not."

"You let Professor Dumbledore in..."

"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest."

"I am resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey..."

"Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only." And she let Ron and Hermione in. She also let Tess back in.

"Harry!" Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore. "Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to - Dumbledore was so worried -"

"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What really happened?"

"Calm down man." Tess said. "Let the hero talk."

It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron, Tess, and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud. Tess had to cover her mouth just to keep the nurse from having an aneurysm if she came over.

"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally.

"Flamel's just going to die?" Hermione asked.

"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that - what was it? - 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.

"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was.

"And I said that he was an old guy." Tess said sarcastically.

"So what happened to you three?" said Harry.

"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione.

"I brought Ron here - that took a while, considering how much he eats - and Dumbledore met me here - when I told him the story, he didn't seem surprised at all- he just said, 'He's reached the mirror' and ran off to the third floor."

"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"

"Well, " Hermione exploded, "if he did - I mean to say that's terrible - you could have been killed."

"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."

"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course - you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you - but the food'll be good." At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT!" she said firmly.


	32. Me and The Slytherin Prince Talk

Tess was walking down the hallway, down the corridor which led to the Great Hall.

"Yankee." A drawling voice said behind her.

Tess turned around. "Oh hey Malfoy. I thought I smelled the enormous amounts of product wafting from your hair."

Malfoy had to keep a straight face just to keep from laughing. "Saint Potter is alive I see." The Malfoy heir said stepping closer to her. "Father always said that Gryffindor would always lose the House Cup."

"Draco." Tess said. "Let's cut the crap."

His pointed pale face took a shade of white. He wanted to say that he was glad that they were ok but he couldn't disappoint his father so he just turned around.

"You know Draco." Tess called out. "I don't think you're as bad as you pretend to be."


	33. And the Winner of the House Cup is....

Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full.

It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.

When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Tess, Ron, and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.

Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts... Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.

"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin." said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... "First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."

Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.

"...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects.

"My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again.

"Second - to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were a hundred points up.

"Third - to Miss. Quintessa Crosswell..." said Dumbledore. The room went deathly quiet "For a special kind of intelligence, demonstrating House Unity with everyone even the Slytherins, and tremendous selflessness, I award Gryffindor house fifty five points."

Everyone screamed and yelled tremendously for her. Tess was glowing with happiness and blushed a little. Harry clapped her back, smiling with her. No one knew this, but Draco Malfoy smirked a little at what Tess earned.

"Fourth-to Mr. Harry Potter… for pure nerve and outstanding courage-I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

The din was deafening because those who could add during the excitement had declared that they were way ahead in the game. Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. Tess squeezed the life out of him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.

"Which means, Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration." He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place.

"Gryffindor wins the House Cup."

The entire room, even some of the Slytherins got up and screamed in happiness. The Gryffindors were shouting and Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Tess and Harry's eye and they knew at once that Snape's feelings toward them hadn't changed one jot. This didn't worry Harry nor Tess.

It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.

It was the best night of Tess' life, better than going to Hogwarts for the first time, or Hermione becoming their friend, or declaring that the Stone Case was solved, or knocking out mountain trolls... she would never, ever forget tonight. Tess had even almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both she, Harry, and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years.

Even Neville scraped through, his amazing Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one.

They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.

Tess didn't know what was coming when she chose Hogwarts, but after everything that had happened, she had never been so relieved that she went there.


	34. Return To New York

And before anyone could blink, suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.

It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.

"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you - I'll send you an owl."

"Thanks," said Harry, "I'll need something to look forward to."

"Ditto on that." Tess agreed. "You three have to promise me that you will write or call. Hermione and Harry I gave you my numbers. Ron, you're gonna need some time because something tells me I shouldn't trust you with a phone yet."

People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world.

Some of them called:

"Bye, Harry!"

"See you, Potter!"

"Still famous," said Ron, grinning at him.

"Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Harry. He, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together, and Tess followed.

"There he is, Mom, there he is, look!"

It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.

"Harry Potter!" she squealed.

"Look, Mom! I can see "Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point." Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.

"Busy year?" she said.

"Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."

"Same here." Tess said.

"Ah so you must be Quintessa." Mrs. Weasley said, shaking her hand. "Ron has told me about you and I was just talking to your aunt and nephew."

"Aunt Sara!" Tess said. "Johnnie!" She ran, dropping her luggage and hugged them.

"You must be Harry Potter." Johnnie said shaking their hands. "And Ron and Hermione."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Hermione said. "And you Aunt Sara."

"Thank you for sending my niece those nice things over Christmas."

"Oh, it was nothing, dear. Now if any of you want to come over, just send an owl."

"Oh you're too kind Mrs. Weasley." Tess said.

"Well any friend of my children's is a friend of mine." Mrs. Weasley said joyfully.

"Ready, are you?" It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.

"You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away. Harry hung back for a last word with Tess, Ron, and Hermione.

"See you over the summer, then." "Hope you have - er - a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.

"Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Tess exclaimed highfiving him.

"Great." Sara said, smiling. "Just what we need. Another Tess."

"I'll miss you guys." Tess said. "I'll write."

"Tess we have to go." Sara said. "We don't wanna miss our flight."

"Flight?" Ron asked.

"It's a long story." Tess said before giving them a last hug.

"I can't believe you got a flight." Tess said.

"And we're gonna spend it talking all about your school year." Sara said.

"That's cause you talk alot." Tess said.

"Well that too."

Johnnie laughed at her antics.

On the airplane flight home, they spent a good 4 hours talking about Tess' school year, what went on, who she met, the whole 9 yards. When they finally arrived in JFK, they took a taxi back to the West Side where they walked home. They ordered pizza and had a good dinner talking about Johnnie's school year. He would soon turn 16.

After dinner, they went to bed. Before falling asleep, Johnnie asked his cousin, "Feels strange to be home? Doesn't it?"

"Oh I'm not home Johnnie." Tess said. "Not really."

He smiled and closed his eyes. When she made sure that she was good to go, she grabbed her broom and flew, racing in the New York skyline, just to get the thrill of it. She wouldn't do anymore broom racing.

She stopped between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and took in the night summer air.

"God, I love being a witch."

She took out her photo of her mother and smiled. She put the photo in her jacket pocket and zoomed off.


End file.
